Tag Archives: rock

Stevie D ft. Corey Glover – Torn from the Pages

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Title: Torn from the Pages
Artist: Stevie D, featuring Corey Glover
Label: Mighty Music
Format: Digital
Release date: September 6, 2019

 

Stevie D, a.k.a. Stephen DeAcutis, has teamed up with Living Colour vocalist Corey Glover on his debut album, Torn from the Pages. Not to be confused with the Buckcherry guitarist, DeAcutis is more often thought of as a producer and engineer who has recorded and mixed albums for pop stars such as Cyndi Lauper, as well as metal heavyweights Nuclear Assault and Overkill. However, on this project, Stevie D demonstrates his chops as a songwriter as well as a guitarist, proving throughout the album that he is a strong lead player who is also capable of some blistering guitar work. The pairing with Corey Glover, for whom DeAcutis has engineered and co-produced projects in the past, is a seamless collaboration that never feels forced. In fact, Torn from the Pages could pass as a release by a long-standing band. Continue reading →

Brutal Africa: The Heavy Metal Cowboys of Botswana

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Title: Brutal Africa: The Heavy Metal Cowboys of Botswana
Artist: Various
Label: Svart
Formats: CD, Vinyl
Release Date: August 30, 2019

 

From Finnish label Svart Records comes Brutal Africa: The Heavy Metal Cowboys of Botswana. This compilation of six bands from across Botswana explores the thriving, yet often unrecognized heavy metal scene of the country. The name Brutal Africa is likely inspired by brutal metal, a sub-section of metal music that is played by some of the bands on this recording. Continue reading →

October 2019 Black Music Releases of Note

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Following are additional albums released during October 2019 across multiple genres—some will be reviewed in future issues of Black Grooves. Continue reading →

Hundred Watt Heart – Turbulent Times

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Title: Turbulent Times
Artist: Hundred Watt Heart
Label: Whole Leap
Formats: LP, Digital
Release date: May 24, 2019

 

Hundred Watt Heart’s Turbulent Times is the first solo recording by “Captain” Kirk Douglas from The Roots. Joined by The Roots bassist Mark Kelley, the Hundred Watt Heart is a Black rock power trio rounded out by drummer Ricc Sheridan from the band Earl Greyhound (the three also perform together as The Dust Rays). Given the power trio theme, it is appropriate that this album was recorded at Jimi Hendrix’s Electric Lady Studios in New York. The eight tracks feature excellent songwriting and musicianship that is at times bare-bones rock and roll, and at other times well-produced pseudo-psychedelia. The entire band is first-rate, and Douglas is outstanding both as a vocalist and a guitarist. Perhaps most impressive is Douglas’s restraint as a guitar player. On tracks like “Uma” he demonstrates that he can play at a top-tier level when he wants to, but unlike some other highly technical guitarists, Douglas does not populate the entire album with flashy guitar licks. Continue reading →

John the Martyr Self-Titled Debut Album

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Title: John the Martyr
Artist: John the Martyr
Label: Plus One
Formats: CD, LP, Digital
Release date: June 14, 2019

 

It’s becoming a familiar story: young soul music enthusiast encounters a seasoned elder who hasn’t performed professionally for years, and invites him or her to front a band. In this instance, the band is the ten-piece rock and soul group John the Martyr, and the elder is none other than 70-year-old Harlem soul singer Bill Hudson, who had been earning extra cash performing with a doo-wop group in the New York subway. Now, just two years after their formation, John the Martyr has released its eponymous debut album to wide acclaim. You may have already heard their first single, “Crossing the Line,” which is brimming over with a youthful enthusiasm tempered by the gravitas of Hudson’s vocals that reflect the septuagenarian’s lived experience: Continue reading →

Alan Evans – Nothing To Say

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Title: Nothing To Say
Artist: Alan Evans
Label: Vintage League Music
Formats: CD, LP, Digital
Release date: May 24, 2019

 

Don’t let the title fool you—Alan Evans has plenty to say on his solo debut album. Steeped in psychedelic rock and funk, Nothing To Say finds Evans stepping out from behind his drum kit and away from his acclaimed funk/jazz trio Soulive. The album’s ten original tracks were written, recorded, and produced over the past four years by Evans and released on his Vintage League Music label. In addition to laying down the drum tracks, the singer and multi-instrumentalist performs all vocals as well as guitar, bass, keys and percussion. Joining Evans on this outing are guitarists Danny Mayer and Ryan Hommel, who doubles on pedal steel, with Darby Wolf, Kris Yunker, Beau Sasser, and brother Neal Evans (Soulive) filling in on Moog, organ, piano and Mellotron. This keyboard centric mix is heavy on the organ, creating a soulful yet funky feel throughout, but includes enough stellar guitar solos to rock hard. Continue reading →

Cole Williams – Believe

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Title: Believe
Artist: Cole Williams
Label: Louisiana Red Hot
Formats: CD, Digital
Release date: May 31, 2019

 

After making a name for herself as a vocalist and percussionist with the Brooklyn-based quintet Pimps of Joytime and contributing background vocals for numerous artists, Cole Williams decided she was ready for a reboot. The Jamaican-American singer-songwriter and self-described “punk empress” relocated to New Orleans in 2015 and formed the Cole Williams Band, then set out to invoke an “African Rock Revolution.” Her new solo album, Believe, offers eleven original tracks all written, produced, and performed by the talented Williams. From the distorted soul of “Opposites ATTRACT” to the electro/hip hop vibe of “Turn Up,” the album gets off to a righteous start. Other highlights include the densely packed soundscape of the manifesto “Single Black FEmelle,” the good vibes of “Get High,” and the cautionary tale of “Sin City.” The album closes on a high note with the mid-tempo title track, “BeLieVe,” featuring jazzy, multilayered vocals over a punchy horn section on this affirmative song about love and relationships.  Though Believe is more experimental, free flowing, and synth heavy than Williams’ previous efforts, the album should still strike a chord for fans of her unique blend of rock and soul music. Continue reading →

Dwayne Dopsie & The Zydeco Hellraisers – Bon Ton

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Title: Bon Ton
Artist: Dwayne Dopsie & The Zydeco Hellraisers
Label: Louisiana Red Hot
Formats: CD, Digital
Release date: May 24, 2019

 

Dubbed the “Jimi Hendrix of the accordion” by Rolling Stone magazine, Dwayne “Dopsie” Rubin is a master of the “blood pumping zydeco” that seeps from the heart of Louisiana’s bayous on a hot summer night. Known for playing his accordion like a guitar, Dopsie’s fiery style incorporates elements of rock, funk, and R&B as well as the more traditional zydeco learned at the knee of his father, the late Alton Rubin Sr. (a.k.a. Rockin’ Dopsie). On his latest release, Bon Ton, Dopsie definitely ushers in summer with some good times and great music. His backing band, The Zydeco Hellraisers, features Paul Lafleur on washboard, Brandon David on guitar, Tim McFatter on sax, Dion Pierre on bass, and Dondrell Fleming on drums. Together they perform a synthesis of the blues, rhythm and blues, and traditional Cajun music that comprise the zydeco tradition. Continue reading →

Bernard Fowler – Inside Out

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Title: Inside Out
Artist: Bernard Fowler
Label: Rhyme and Reason
Formats: CD, LP, Digital
Release date: April 19, 2019

 

Bernard Fowler has had an impressive career for being someone whose name flies under the radar of the average mainstream listener. He has recorded with composers such as Philip Glass, jazz legend Herbie Hancock, and rock icon Alice Cooper. Inside Out, Fowler’s newest release, presents a unique interpretation of the music of the Rolling Stones that will sound fresh and new to even the most seasoned Rolling Stones fan. As a performer, Fowler has worked as a backup singer and percussionist for the Rolling Stones both live and in the studio since 1988, so he is very familiar with the band’s style. Yet these tracks are more than just arrangements of Rolling Stones songs that he has performed—they are new musical compositions on top of which Fowler interprets the lyrics in a spoken-word format in the style of Last Poets and Gil Scot-Heron. Continue reading →

The 1865 – Don’t Tread On We

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Title: Don’t Tread On We
Artist: The 1865
Label: Mass Appeal
Formats: Vinyl, Digital
Release Date: January 25, 2019

 

On April 9th, 1865 the United States Civil War came to an end. Now, over 150 years later, these events have inspired an all-black punk rock band known as The 1865. Describing themselves as “Bad Brains meets Foo Fighters in a black woman’s hair salon for a cup of tea,” the Brooklyn-based band is in a class all their own. With the release of their debut album, Don’t Tread on We, The 1865 explore life in America following the Civil War—a land living in the shadows of the fallen Confederacy. Continue reading →

Moonlight Benjamin – Siltane

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Title: Siltane
Artist: Moonlight Benjamin
Label: Ma Case
Formats: CD, Digital
Release date: November 30, 2018

 

For the past twelve years, Moonlight Benjamin has been successfully carving out a space for herself within the music world as the priestess of voodoo blues rock and roll. Her fourth album, Siltane, has only secured her claim to this title. The latest project features Benjamin on lead vocals, Matthis Pascaud on bass and guitar, Marck-Richard Mirand on bass, Clude Saturne on percussion, and Bertrand Noël on drums. Together, they create a soundscape that is suggestive of “an Afro-energized Black Keys meets Dr. John.” Continue reading →

Eric Gales – The Bookends

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Title: The Bookends
Artist: Eric Gales
Label: Provogue
Formats: CD, LP, Digital
Release date: February 8, 2019

 

Virtuoso blues-rock guitarist Eric Gales may not be a household name, but he’s been described by his peers as one of the best guitar players in the world. A former child prodigy, Gales was signed to a record label at the age of 16 and has since recorded 15 solo albums. Along the way he’s recorded with many other artists, and also performs alongside bassist Dug Pinnick (King’s X) and drummer Thomas Pridgen (Mars Volta) in the formidable black rock power trio Pinnick Gales Pridgen. Gales’ new release, The Bookends, may be his greatest accomplishment to date. While blues and rock may represent the bookends, the project also embodies “everything in between” from pop, jazz, and funk to gospel. Continue reading →

The Full-On Electric Ladyland Experience

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Title: Electric Ladyland 50th Anniversary Deluxe Reissue
Artist: The Jimi Hendrix Experience
Label: Legacy
Formats: CD, LP, Digital
Release date: November 9, 2018

 

Perhaps demonstrating, emphatically, that rock music is long in the teeth, 2018 marks the 50th anniversary of several historic albums. At the top of the list is Jimi Hendrix’s Electric Ladyland, a muddy, blues-infused psychedelic mashup originally released on 2 vinyl platters. Sony’s Legacy label celebrates the half-century with a deluxe 3-CD/1-BluRay set also released in a 6-LP/1-BluRay edition. Continue reading →

Original Human Music – Ultraphonix

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ultraTitle: Original Human Music

Artist: Ultraphonix

Label: earMUSIC

Formats: CD, LP, Digital

Release date: August 3, 2018

 

Original Human Music is the full-length debut album by Ultraphonix, a supergroup consisting of vocalist Corey Glover (Living Colour), guitarist George Lynch (Dokken), bassist Pancho Tomaselli (War), and drummer Chris Moore (Endangered Species). While its members all come from different bands, nothing about this album points to a group that was arbitrarily assembled. Having worked for years with guitar virtuoso Vernon Reid, Corey Glover seems at home working with guitar legend George Lynch. Continue reading →

Rock Masterpieces Vol. 1- Jean Beauvoir

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Rock Masterpieces Vol. 1Title: Rock Masterpieces Vol. 1

Artist: Jean Beauvoir

Label: AOR Heaven

Formats: CD, Digital

Release date: June 29, 2018

 

Jean Beauvoir is a legend in the world of black rock and Afro-punk artists. Born in Chicago to Haitian-American parents, he started his musical career in a fairly typical manner, learning drums and bass as a kid, and honing his vocals singing doo-wop. But his career took a dramatic left turn when he moved to New York during the punk rock explosion and crossed paths with Rod Swenson and Wendy O. Williams. Continue reading →