Deep Cover

There’s a right way and a wrong way to make an album of cover songs.  Nikka Costa takes the proper approach on the stellar Nikka & Strings: Underneath and In Between.  The unconventional arrangements and unusual instrumentation demonstrate Costa’s healthy irreverence on selections like Prince’s ”Nothing Compares 2 U”.  Her leisurely version of  “Stormy Weather” makes a case for Costa as Etta James’ most worthy heir.  Conversely, Douyé’s impeccably tasteful interpretations of standards like “In a Sentimental Mood” on Daddy Said So are infuriatingly stale.  The inability of elite jazz musicians like Kenny Barron, Ron Carter and Jeremy Pelt to lift the project out of the doldrums makes the effort even more frustrating.  The reactionary conservatism of Daddy Said So sounds like the supper club of my nightmares.


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I reviewed a concert by Iron Maiden and Ghost on Tuesday.

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I reviewed Monday’s outing by DJ Shadow at the Madrid Theatre.

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OneRepublic’s concert at the Sprint Center on Friday was one of my favorite shows of 2017.  No joke.  I reviewed the concert for The Kansas City Star.

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I discussed the Kansas City jazz fusion musician Blair Bryant on KCUR last week.  I inflicted Mike Dillon on listeners of the NPR affiliate earlier today.

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I write weekly concert previews for The Kansas City Star.

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I consider Steve Lambert’s new album Seven Stories at Plastic Sax.

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Lord have mercy.  Pokey Bear’s ”Can’t Be Faithful” is a strong contender for my favorite song of 2017.

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21 Savage’s Issa is so bad that it's good. "FaceTime" is among the tracks that are both brilliantly awful and awfully brilliant.

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I love everything about Riverside’s The New National Anthem.  The project overseen by trumpeter Dave Douglas is RIYL Carla Bley, brilliant fun, Old and New Dreams.

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Shredders, a reshuffling of the Doomtree crew, is invigorating.  RIYL: P.O.S, feeling Minnesota, Sims.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Album Review: Ghostface Killah and Badbadnotgood- Sour Soul

2014 was a miserable year for hip-hop.  Very little in the genre thrilled me.  Yet the first few weeks of 2015 represent an embarrassment of hip-hop riches. 

Along with an alarming portion of the rest of the world, I’m listening to Kendrick Lamar’s new album at the moment.  (Jazz and funk!)

Not taking the chart-topping release by my sworn enemy into consideration, Cannibal Ox and Doomtree have already released albums that are better than any hip-hop titles that came out last year.

While it’s not in the same class as Kendrick’s To Pimp a Butterfly, Sour Soul, the new collaboration between Ghostface Killah and Badbadnotgood, is very good. 

Ghost, of course, is the most notable voice of the Wu-Tang Clan. I once thought of the Canadian band Badbadnotgood as a “fake jazz” collective, but the group has since come a long way in a short time.

With each play of Sour Soul, Ghost’s rhymes become increasingly funny.  The album makes me happy.  Here’s a video for ”Ray Gun”.


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I reviewed the Chieftains’ short and cheesy concert at Helzberg Hall. 

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I contributed a feature about Drakkar Sauna to KCUR.

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I indulge in a so-called guilty pleasure at Plastic Sax.

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Danielle Nicole Schnebelen’s new EP is impressive.  I prefer it to the output of her former band Trampled Under Foot.  RIYL: Etta James, blue-eyed soul, Wilson Pickett.

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Daevid Allen of Gong has died.  When I went through my prog-rock phase, Allen was still one of the leading lights of the form.

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New MC Lyte?  I guess I’m in.

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I put off listening to Butch Walker’s new album for weeks.  Having lost my most of my taste for sensitive rock, I figured it wouldn’t be my thing.  I was wrong.  Afraid of Ghosts is RIYL: Lindsey Buckingham, songs about death, Matthew Ryan.

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There’s nothing unique about Tim Warfield’s Spherical, but the Monk tribute is excellent nonetheless.  RIYL: Charlie Rouse, all things Monk, Coleman Hawkins.

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Big Steve’s endorsement of the project compelled me to audition the Mavericks' fine new Mono.  The flat sound field can be remedied by playing the album through a portable speaker.

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No one asked me, but I believe that the verdict in the Gaye-Thicke/Pharrell Williams is a travesty.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

The Jacka, 1977-2015

The Jacka was killed in Oakland last night.  A television news program reported the murder.  I last saw the underappreciated rapper perform at the Uptown Theater in 2010.  Here are my notes about the show.  D-Boy Era, the Jacka’s throwback hip-hop collaboration with Lee Majors, was my #12 album of 2010.  His most recent release What Happened to the World was my #21 album of 2014.  In spite of his salty persona, the Jacka was very personable when I met with him in a Midtown bar a few years ago.


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I reviewed Dominique Sanders’ astonishing new album at Plastic Sax.

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I contributed a feature about Eddie Moore and the Outer Circle to KCUR.

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La Guerre’s Sapphires is RIYL: Hospital Ships, yearning, Regina Spektor.

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The Floozies’ Do Your Thing is an invigorating dance party.  RIYL: Zapp, disco, Daft Punk.

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I loved John Doe’s recent appearance at Knuckeheads.  Tim Finn reviewed the show.

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Vinyl Community noteworthy Teddy Dibble pays tribute to his late brother.

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I’ve yet to select my favorite new jam on Charlie Wilson’s Forever Charlie. RIYL: The Gap Band, romance, the Commodores.  Here’s ”Me and You Forever”.

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I questioned what I’m doing with my life after I ingested all 153 minutes of the new live album documenting John Scofield’s collaboration with Gov’t Mule.  It’s more in line with the Allman Brothers Band than with Miles Davis. 

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Gehenna, the latest release by Danish band By the Patient, hits the spot.  RIYL: Behemoth, riffs, Vader.

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If neither Hand Over Fist’s “Prize Fight” nor any of the stunning songs on P.O.S’s Never Better failed to break through, it’s unlikely that the latest Doomtree album All Hands will alter the crew’s fortunes. 

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My high hopes for Mohammed Fairouz’s Follow, Poet were dashed when I finally heard the bloated project.  RIYL: high concept, Leonard Bernstein, sociology.

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Dawn Richard’s Blackheart is a compelling variation on post-Beyoncé R&B.  Here’s ”Blow”.

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I have yet to watch the archived performance by Our Point Of View, the all-star group featuring Robert Glasper, Ambrose Akinmusire, Marcus Strickland, Lionel Loueke, Derrick Hodge and Kendrick Scott.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Album Review: Phil Neal & the Wornalls- Lifeline

I'm accustomed to embarrassing myself on the radio.  My latest faux pas occurred while I was talking up the latest album by Phil Neal & the Wornalls.  I suggested that I'd just as soon catch the Kansas City band at the RecordBar as make an investment in a ticket for Tom Petty & the Heartbreaker's concert at Sprint Center.  A colleague quickly pointed out that Petty's concert had been canceled.  Even so, I stand by my sentiment.  The Wornalls may not be as accomplished as the Heartbreakers and Neal's vocal range is even more limited than Petty's.  Yet the songs on the new album Lifeline are raw, honest and entirely relevant to my life.


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I spent over eight happy hours at Warped Tour on Thursday.  Here's my review.

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Last week's Local Listen segment for KCUR's Up To Date featured Jason Vivone and the Billy Bats.  This week's feature focused on the People's Liberation Big Band. 

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Bent Edge Punk documents Kansas City's early punk and new wave scene.  (Via Tony's Kansas City.)

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Impossibly strange fact: fans attending a Kansas City Kings game in 1978 were given free copies of Ian Matthews' Stealin' Home.  The album is being reissued by Omnivore Recordings.

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Is Nicholas Payton trolling on his new project Numbers?  The twelve pleasant grooves are almost interchangeable.  RIYL: soulful background music, Decoy, high concept.

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Ex-Cult's Midnight Passenger is very good.  RIYL: Iceage, thinking about the Sex Pistols, Stooges.

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Nothing's Guilty of Everything is RIYL: Deafheaven, brooding, My Bloody Valentine.

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Raheem DeVaughn's graphic King of Loveland 2 is RIYL: Prince, you already know, the Isley Brothers.

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".38 Airweight", the solid new single from Doomtree, is RIYL: Minneapolis, Aesop Rock, smart rappers.

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I intended to briefly audition Trampled By Turtles' Wild Animals.  Before I knew it, I'd enjoyed the entire album.  Twice.  RIYL: American Beauty, mornings, Fleet Foxes.

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It seems like several lifetimes ago that I loved Scruffy the Cat.  I spend a few hazy nights catching the band at the Lone Star and Parody Hall.  Here's the trailer for a new compilation of the band's roots rock. 

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Toyokana!

Here's yet another confession that reflects poorly on my character.  During Vusi Mahlasela's performance at Yardley Hall a couple months ago, I kept wishing that the South African would focus on showcasing his rapturous singing rather than talking at length about Nelson Mandela. 

My companion didn't share my frustration.  She's since repeatedly reminded me of the Mandela-inspired ideal of forgiveness that Mahlasela spoke of that night.  Furthermore, it was apparent that Mahlasela viewed art and politics as inseparable parts of the same entity.

Much of my anxiousness derived from the fact that so few performers from the African continent appear in the Kansas City area.  The only African musicians I saw in 2013 were Mahlasela and the Malian kora master Yacouba Sissoko.  It wasn't always this way.

There was a glorious, twerk-filled era- I'll estimate that it spanned the years between 1985 and 1995- when African musicians regularly toured the midwest.  I frequently caught acts like Congo's Kanda Bongo Man and Nigeria's Chief Commander Ebenezer Obey in clubs.  These types of shows were so common that I can't recall if I ever saw Congo's Tabu Ley Rochereau.  I do remember that the pictured CD was in heavy rotation in my apartment in 1994-95.  Such joy!  Tabu Ley, one of the originators of soukous, died on November 30.  (Initial tip via Big Steve.)

"Toyokana," Tabu Ley sings on "Requistoire".  We must understand. 


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My review of Tuesday's under-attended concert by Kanye West and Kendrick Lamar became a meme.  Reddit (over 4,000 comments), the Drudge Report, Radar, the Huffington Post and Gawker are among the outlets that picked it up.  As the most read story at The Kansas City Star's site for several hours, it's racked up over 800 comments.  The general consensus: 80% hate West, 15% defend West, 5% think the reviewer is an idiot. 

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The Kansas City Star published a few year-end top ten lists, including my own.  Fear not, There Stands the Glass readers- an expanded list will appear at this site soon.

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I reviewed Bobby Watson's Check Cashing Day at Plastic Sax.

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Here's Tim Finn's wrap-up of the "best local music of 2013.

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Billboard published a breathless profile of the Strange Music empire.

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Akkilles' video for "Your Only One" works for me. RIYL: Sea Change, stock footage, Wilco.

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"Blind Tiger", the latest video from L'Orange and Stik Figa's collaboration, is excellent. RIYL: J Dilla, backpacks, Gang Starr.

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Radkey's video for "Start Freaking Out" is representative of the band's shows.  RIYL: The Misfits, teen angst, Danzig.

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DJ and producer Wrillez Basics is profiled in a five-minute video. RIYL: awkward dudes, basements, EDM. (Via Tony's Kansas City.)

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"Wanna Go" is the latest video from Chase Compton.  RIYL: Tyga, marijuana, Mac Miller.

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Junior Murvin has died.

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Dick Dodd of the Standells has died.

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Uh...

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Last week's Soul Train Awards may have been a crass vehicle to promote programs on BET and Centric, but the music was excellent.  I loved performances by Big Daddy Kane, Ron Isley, Bobby Caldwell, Slick Rick and Tamar Braxton.

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Phox may become huge.  The band recently appeared at Lawrence High School's Classroom Sessions.

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Doomtree is "Team the Best Team".

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Albums discovered via 2013 year-end album lists:
#1-Charlie Parr's Barnswallow, RIYL: Split Lip Rayfield, the real deal, Dave Van Ronk.
#2 Oblivians' Desperation, RIYL: The New York Dolls, body odor, Fidlar.
#3 Dawn of Midi's Dysnomia, RIYL: headaches, Philip Glass, metronomes.
#4 Karnivool's Asymmetry, RIYL: Tool's first album, Tool's second album, Tool's third album.
#5 Suun's Images du Futur, RIYL: Deerhoof, motion sickness, Spiritualized.
#6 Violent Soho's Hungry Ghost, RIYL: Wavves, nostalgia for 1993, Silverchair.
#7 Tim Easton's Not Cool, RIYL: Wayne Hancock, new sounds from artists you'd pigeonholed, Nick Lowe.

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Kansas City Click: My official picks are published here.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Album Review: Dessa- Parts of Speech

I pondered the fleeting nature of fame as I watched Paula Cole perform three weeks ago.  Cole won the Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 1998.  So how did she end up playing a free concert at a suburban shopping mall for a few hundred curiosity seekers 15 years later?  Cole hasn't lost any of her talent or good looks.

Part of every popular artist's challenge is fending off the relentless waves of fresh talent.  One significant “new” contender is Dessa.  Part of the prodigiously gifted Doomtree crew from the Twin Cities, Dessa updates the confessional singer-songwriter rock associated with Cole and other Lilith Fair-style musicians on her latest solo album. 

Because that sensibility isn’t my thing, I most appreciate the tracks on Parts of Speech that hew most closely to hip-hop.  ”Warsaw” is my favorite song while ”Call Off Your Ghost” does nothing for me.  A sparkling interpretation of Bruce Springsteen’s “I'm Going Down,” not surprisingly, delights me.

It's a strong effort, but there’s probably not a “Where Have All the Cowboys Gone?”-size hit on Parts of Speech.  Those coveted shopping mall gigs are going to have to wait. 


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A triple bill of Los Lobos, Los Lonely Boys and Alejandro Escovedo exceeded my expectations.  Here’s my review of Saturday's concert at Knuckleheads.

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The three free new songs by Chris Hazelton’s Boogaloo 7 are RIYL: “Suit & Tie,” Dr. Lonnie Smith, Lou Donaldson. 

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The Abnorm’s new mixtape is titled The Soular Powered Project.

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I’ve met several members of Bloodstone and I’ve had extensive dealings with a one-time manager of the Kansas City-based band.  But until a few days ago, I never knew that Bloodstone starred in a movie.  Here’s the  trailer for “Train Ride to Hollywood.”

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Telarc Records will issue Trampled Under Foot’s new album this month.  Here’s an excellent  EPK.

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The video for Cowboy Indian Bear’s “I Want a Stranger’s Heart” is effective.

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Here’s a nice video recap of the 2013 edition of the Middle of the Map festival.

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Here’s murky footage of Mayor Sly James singing “It’s Not My Cross to Bear.”

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Steve Paul filmed a portion of “a mid-afternoon show of santeria/conga/rumba music” on a recent trip to Cuba.

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Sunday’s BET Awards was the most entertaining music-themed award show I’ve watched in years.  The segments featuring Charlie Wilson and R. Kelly were excellent.  I loved the performances by Janelle Monae, Robin Thicke, Tamela Mann and Kendrick Lamar. 

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I’m not too proud to admit my affection for In a Warzone, the entirely derivative new album by the Transplants.  RIYL: Rancid, Blink-182, Slightly Stoopid. 

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I have absolutely no reservations about sharing my enthusiasm for Otis Clay’s new album Truth Is.  It’s first-rate soul-blues.  ”All That’s Missing Is You” is my jam.  RIYL: Sharon Jones, Tyrone Davis, Jerry Butler.

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This week’s most compelling new releases include albums by Akkilles, Deap Vally, The Fall, the Joe Farrell Quartet and Joe.  The latest from John Scofield is at the top of my list.

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Kansas City Click: Diarrhea Planet is on Tuesday’s bill at the Riot Room.

The Bottle Rockets perform at Knuckleheads on Wednesday.

Matt Stillwell appears on the KC Live! stage on the Fourth of July.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)