Neil Young fans seem to like the fact that Neil Young can get away with anything he wants. So they really oughta like Neil's new album, Americana.
He's back with Crazy Horse this time around. And this album puts the "crazy" in Crazy Horse.
Neil says these are songs you remember from kindergarten, but rearranged by his band.
I can hear the quote now from Neil Young fans around the world: "Hey, it's Neil being Neil, whaddaya want?"
Imagine Late Night's Jimmy Fallon parodying Neil's sound and coming up with a rousing version of "Oh Susannah" or "Clementine." And that's just about what you get on this album.
Then just when you think you've figured out what's going on, they throw in the inexplicable cover of the classic Silhouettes doo-wop song "Get a Job." Complete with the sha-na-na-nas and dip-dip-dip-do-wops. What?
"Oh, that's just Neil being Neil."
I kind of do like their version of "Gallow's Pole" better than the Led Zeppelin/Robert Plant version. In fact it's all kind of growing on me. I love Neil so much, HE CAN DO WHATEVER HE WANTS!
The album is out now.
Maybe Neil's next project should be an album of covers of Willow Smith (Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith's daughter).
From some of the lyrics on John Mayer's new album, Born and Raised, you would think the one-time bad boy is trying to get you to like him.
But what he's really doing is learning to like himself. Like he says in the lyrics of "Shadow Days," he's a "good man, with a good heart."
A couple of years ago, Mayer was getting some bad press. He made some relationship mistakes, and said some really stupid, hurtful things in the media. Then he disappeared.
What he did was move to Bozeman, Montana, and like he told Ellen DeGeneres the other day, he did some growing up. He wanted to learn how to be 33 and 34 instead of 28 for a couple more years.
You can tell from the lyrics that this was an introspective time for Mayer. For some artists, that becomes self-indulgent, but in this instance, it works.
The tender melodies and fine finger picking guitar mix well with his message. In "Walt Grace's Submarie Test, 1967" we get the idea that solitude is something that Mayer was learning to enjoy. On "If I Ever Get Around to Living," he sings, "If I ever get around to living, it's gonna be just like I dreamed, I'm gonna take the love I'm giving, and set it free."
If I were living in the mountains of Montana, sitting out on a deck with a nice dog and a lemonade, this would be the perfect album to fit the mood.
The bottom line: If you're looking for Mayer to do some intense shredding on his Stratocaster, you'll be disappointed. But if you're looking for a mellow, comfortable groove, this album is perfect.
Check out the latest song off The Walkmen's new album Heaven called "We Can't Be Beat." An indie rock band relying on vintage instruments such as upright pianos and organs, The Walkmen have created a unique sound that sets them apart from fellow contemporary New York musicians. The album is due for release on May 29 and you can see them on June 29 in Milwaukee where they'll be performing at Summerfest.
Mindy Smith's latest album won't be coming out until June 26, but you can hear two new tracks right now here. The folk-country singer from Long Island found popularity while collaborating with Dolly Parton in 2003 and 2004. More recently, her song "Taking You With Me" was featured on the soundtrack of Our Idiot Brother and her latest album is set to be released independently. You can catch Smith later this year at the High Noon Saloon on August 4 at 6pm.
If you believe the hashtag, #johnmayerisback!
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People have been wondering why Billie Joe jumped off the bridge since this song came out and made it to number 1 in 1967. Singer Bobby Gentry says people always asked what was thrown over the bridge and why did Billie Joe jump. She never would give a...
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