Ahh, the dog days of college. It seems with Easter and Spring Break it’s been a lifetime since our last issue; in fact my last deadline was March 4. Since then, there has been a boatload of releases but because our deadline is two weeks before the paper is distributed, these will all seem dated.
But with nothing new by either established artists or newbies at the time of this deadline we’ll review the CDs that were released during our hiatus.
Gary Clark Jr. is considered an up and coming blues guitarist who is primed to carry on the Eric Clapton and Buddy Guy tradition of electrified blues guitar. Hot off the heels of his Black and Blu CD is an iTunes Sessions exclusive e.p. which features tracks from the fore mentioned album as well as some blues classics.
See this is sorta important simply because Clark, to date, has yet to release a CD that captures the excitement as a guitar player in a live setting. Some guys, no matter how talented they are, simply make dull records. The nine tracks here were recorded live in the studio and indeed have the spark that his studio stuff is missing.
Whether it’s an extended version of “Bright Lights,” a track from his latest album or a killer cover of Albert King’s “Oh, Pretty Woman” this has some bite to it. Other standouts include “When My Train Pulls In,” “Numb,” “Next Door Neighbor Blues,” “If Trouble Was Money” and my favorite “Please Come Home.”
Gary Clark Jr. has been able to offer here what his previous studio albums have lacked: a good dose of energy that justifies all the hype generated his way.
This is a pretty good thing, especially since it sounds like Eric Clapton just turned into his dad. Talk about mailing it in, on his latest Old Sock (Surf Dog), Clapton is definitely showing his age, which is entirely different than showing off one’s experience. Some guys in there later years lose their desire; Eric Clapton has lost his soul.
On the 12 tracks here, Clapton is following the current trend of making albums of songs that they grew up listening to. How did he become a guitar god by listening to this stuff?
OK I gotta clarify a bit. These are great songs, stuff by the likes of Otis Redding, Taj Mahal and J.J. Cale. Here though Clapton has taken good, proven classics and has driven them into the ground.
Stuff like “All Of Me” is downright embarrassing. There are two originals here and one of them, “Gotta Get Over” with Chaka Kahn guesting on background vocals, is the album’s best track by far.
Eric Clapton’s Old Sock is the perfect example of a guy that relies on his core audience to buy this pap and go pay huge dollars to see him perform this stuff in concert and fund his tour. Not me, not anymore.
An album that generated a lot of anticipation this spring is The 20/20 Experience (RCA) by Justin Timberlake. For you Timberlake fans this is something you’re pretty geeked with. Though it’s really much like his other two solo albums, bland filler in-between three or four hit singles.
Some guys never really change. Timberlake’s never been known to be consistent in anything, be it music, movies or TV. His latest is much like his other two solo albums, all fluff with no substance. It’s like a modern day Michael Bolton album.
That being said there are a couple things of substance hidden in the mix, most notably the single “Suit and Tie” with Jay-Z. Otherwise, depending on your level of tolerance, there’s not much here to get excited about. Without a doubt it’s the most overrated album of the year.
A great little documentary is getting high marks and its accompanying CD is just as good. Dave Grohl of Nirvana and Foo Fighter fame has directed a documentary film about the famed Sound City Studios in Van Nuys, Calif., where over 100 gold and platinum albums were recorded.
The soundtrack of the movie was comprised of many of the artists whom have recorded their albums there. The result is pretty impressive considering you have musicians from different genres collaborating.
To name a few of the artists, Pat Smear and Taylor Hawkins from Foo Fighters, Lee Ving from the punk band Fear, Josh Homme from Queens Of The Stone Age, Trent Reznor from Nine Inch Nails and Robert Levon Been from Black Rebel Motorcycle Club.
Standouts include “From Can To Can’t” with Corey Taylor from Slipknot, “The Man That Never Was,” “Cut Me Some Slack,” “Your Wife Is Calling” and “Mantra.”   
 

Printed Version (MATC Times)