Album Review: Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit- The Nashville Sound

By evoking peak-era Bruce Springsteen & the E-Street Band during Ink’s Middle of the Map Festival at the Uptown Theater in May, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit’s concert at the Uptown Theater momentarily restored my faith in the viability of traditional rock and roll.  The best songs on the setlist- “If We Were Vampires” and “Hope the High Road”- acted as previews of the forthcoming The Nashville Sound.  It’s a drag, consequently, that those songs are far and away the album’s best tracks.  I’ll probably listen to “If We Were Vampires and “Hope the High Road” for the remainder of my life, but I’m just not down with the rest of The Nashville Sound.


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I wrote a feature about Oleta Adams for KCUR.

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I reviewed Ann Wilson’s concert at the Uptown Theater.

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I reviewed George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic’s appearance at the Boulevardia festival.

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Willie Nelson was rained out on Saturday, but I reviewed opening sets by Dwight Yoakam and Robert Earl Keen.

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Concerts by John Legend and Portugal. The Man were my shows of the week for The Kansas City Star and Ink magazine.

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I named My Brothers & Sisters the KCUR Band of the Week.

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I take note of Gerald Spaits latest release at Plastic Sax.

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My weekly music previews for The Kansas City Star are here and here.

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Prodigy of Mobb Deep has died.

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Ben Goldberg School’s The Humanities is RIYL Henry Threadgill, the combination of clarinet and accordion, Don Byron.

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I had a spiritual epiphany while listening to the opening selection of Ahmad Jamal’s excellent new Marseille. Here’s a music video for the fourth track.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Soft and Warm

I hit the quiet storm trifecta on Sunday.  While watching Will Downing deliver the classic 1998 ballad “Stop, Look, Listen to Your Heart” at the Kansas City Jazz & Heritage Festival, I was rocked by a bolt of adult R&B inspiration.  I hustled to the nearby Celebration at the Station to hear Patti Austin perform with the Kansas City Symphony.  At the conclusion of her portion of the massive event, I raced back to the Jazz District in time to catch Oleta Adams revive her 1991 smash “Get Here”.  Rarely has my unironic embrace of slow jams been more rewarding.


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I reviewed the first and second days of the Kansas City Jazz & Heritage Festival for The Kansas City Star.  I pontificate on the inaugural edition of the festival at Plastic Sax.

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Samantha Fish’s two-night stand at Crossroads KC was my show of the week for The Kansas City Star and Ink magazine.

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I gave Oleta Adams the KCUR Band of the Week designation.

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Gregg Allman has died.  He seemed frail at a 2015 casino gig I reviewed for The Kansas City Star.

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I write weekly music previews for The Kansas City Star and Ink magazine.

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Mickey Roker has died.

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The new reissue of Mulatu of Africa is unassailably groovy.  The many imperfections of Mulatu Astatke’s 1972 album somehow makes the music even more perfect.  RIYL: Roy Ayers, qi, Sun Ra.

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Robert Johnson has nothing on Willie Nelson.  God’s Problem Child is yet another improbably strong album from the 84-year-old icon.

(Original image of the Celebration at the Station by There Stands the Glass.)

Seen But Not Heard: Celebration at the Station 2013

I've never hesitated to share my affection for Celebration at the Station. The Kansas City Symphony's concert on Memorial Day weekend is one of my favorite annual events. As the embedded video from my perch near the back of the throng indicates, Celebration at the Station is becoming a victim of its own success. If you listen carefully, you might be able to make out guest artist Oleta Adams singing "Get Here" underneath the murmur of the crowd. The sound emitted by two supplemental speakers hoisted in the air by cranes isn't sufficient. I'm not complaining- the event is free and anyone who wants to appreciate the performance can either arrive early or jockey for position near the stage.

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I reviewed Cheap Trick's concert Saturday at Harrah's Casino.

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Henri Dutilleux died last week. The composer was 97.

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Drummer Ed Shaughnessy has died.

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Flamenco guitarist Niño Miguel has died. (Via Beau Bledsoe.)

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"I'm a hero in my hometown, baby!" The video for Action Bronson's "Strictly 4 My Jeeps" has to be seen to be believed.

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I almost made it to Soundset this year.

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Quartette Humaine, the new release by the acoustic quartet of Bob James, David Sanborn, James Genus and Steve Gadd, is an excellent throwback album in the vein of the Heath Brothers and Grover Washington, Jr.

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After I check out the latest album by The-Dream, I'll investigate this week's new releases by Baths, Terence Blanchard, Blood Ceremony, Tamar Braxton, Eliane Elias, John Fogerty, Hot Club of Cowtown, Kylesa, Laura Marling and Tricky.

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Kansas City Click: Chelsea Crowell performs Tuesday at Knuckleheads.

The RecordBar hosts the Detroit Cobras on Wednesday.

Malachy Papers return to the Brick on Thursday. (Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

(Original cinematography by There Stands the Glass.)