NEWSLETTER '07 #11!

R.I.P. BRAD DELP, BOWIE KUHN, RICHARD JENI (hey, we're equal opportunity mourners)

NEXT WEEK'S NEW RELEASES!

SAL'S BRIEF BUT TO-THE-POINT NEW ORLEANS REPORT!

and in honor of St. Patrick's Day... OUR FIVE FAVORITE SONGS THAT MENTION KEVIN McHALE!

and now... in alphabetical order just so you don't think we're playing favorites, NEXT WEEK'S NEW RELEASES!

CIBO MATTO - POM POM: ESSENTIAL CIBO MATTO. If you ask Sal, the essential Cibo Matto would be a nice three track single. But if you ask fellow Asian Tony Sachs, the good people at Rhino Records got it right with this 19 track comp, featuring all their semi-hits plus rarities and two previously unreleased tracks. They had a reputation for being goofballs, but by their second and last album they'd developed into some mighty funky goofballs who could write and perform a great tune. Worth checking out.

MODEST MOUSE - WE WERE DEAD BEFORE THE SHIP EVEN SANK. It seems like a million years since "Float On," from their last record, Good News For People Who Love Bad News, became a surprise crossover hit and made Modest Mouse bigger than the Beatles for at least a month. Will anyone care about this release now that Johnny Marr is a fulltime member of the band? We sure don't.

ROBERT PLANT - REISSUES. As expected, individual remasters of his entire catalog, which was featured in the Nine Lives box set, are now available with the same remastering and bonus tracks. Phase one, due next week, includes FATE OF NATIONS, MANIC NIRVANA, THE MIGHTY REARRANGER, PICTURES AT ELEVEN, and SHAKEN N' STIRRED.

RICKY SKAGGS & BRUCE HORNSBY - RICKY SKAGGS & BRUCE HORNSBY. We haven't heard this record yet, so we really can't fairly tear it apart the way we wish we could. But take it from us, it's probably not that good, seeing as how it includes both Ricky Skaggs and Bruce Hornsby.

JOSS STONE - INTRODUCING JOSS STONE. The Soul Sessions -- very good. Mind, Body & Soul -- very bad. Introducing Joss Stone -- very very good. Cowriting most of the material herself, Stone's voice has matured a bit. The melisma is almost non-existent, and the tunes are super-catchy.

COOL REISSUE OF THE WEEK!

Now that STAX RECORDS is being resurrected by Concord/Universal, expect to see not only new music from such R & B artists as Angie Stone and Isaac Hayes, but classic reissues, expanded with rare and unreleased tracks. Next week, we see 1969's career-making classic THE QUEEN ALONE, from CARLA THOMAS, get new remastering with five previously unreleased bonus tracks added.

NOW YOU HAS JAZZ!

From Blue Note, newly remastered reissues include DONALD BYRD's CATWALK, DEXTER GORDON's CLUBHOUSE, ANDREW HILL's COMPULSION, THAD JONES' DETROIT NEW YORK JUNCTION, JACKIE McLEAN's NEW AND OLD GOSPEL (which features Ornette Coleman on trumpet and is highly recommended by Sal if you want to get your squeak on!), and ART TAYLOR's ART'S DELIGHT.

Also from Blue Note, a new release from one of the great young jazz pianists on the scene today. ROBERT GLASPER's IN MY ELEMENT is a trio record that features a bunch of Glasper originals as well as a damn fine take on Sam Rivers' "Beatrice" and a great medley of Herbie Hancock's "Maiden Voyage" with Radiohead's "Everything In Its Right Place."

While we were typing that out, WILLIE NELSON just recorded another album, this one featuring RAY PRICE and MERLE HAGGARD. LAST OF THE BREED is a two CD set featuring songs made famous by such legends as Bob Wills, Buck Owens, Hank Williams, Lefty Frizzell, the Everly Brothers, and Elvis Presley, with special guests Kris Kristofferson and Vince Gill. We must admit, these three guys still sound fantastic. We're eagerly awaiting Willie's followup album, due in a couple of minutes.

ANOTHER COOL REISSUE OF THE WEEK!

COLIN BLUNSTONE, lead singer of THE ZOMBIES, finally sees his brilliant debut solo album, 1971's ONE YEAR, get a US release. If you've never heard this record, it's high time you did. It's not quite Britpop like the Zombies, but its lush production and gorgeous melodies are addictive.

NICK CAVE & THE BAD SEEDS - THE ABBATOIR BLUES TOUR. 2 CDs AND 2 DVDs culled the 2004 tour of the same name, as well as from 2003's "Nocturama" tour.

HOLLY COLE - HOLLY COLE. The new release from the Canadian chanteuse is, unfortunately, import-only, but highly recommended and worth the extra bucks. Miz Cole has a knack for taking standards and current pop tunes and making them quintessentially Cole-esque. In fact, we love Holly Cole so much that we're going to start a Sunday morning tradition, "Breakfast With Cole," with lots of jams and muffins and .... (Sorry, we didn't know where we were going with this. Still, it's a fine, fine record.)

JESSE MALIN - GLITTER IN THE GUTTER. Downtown New York legend releases his third solo CD, with guest spots from BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, RYAN ADAMS, and JAKOB DYLAN.

TRACEY THORN - OUT OF THE WOODS. The Girl to Ben Watt's Everything releases her first solo album in many a moon. TRACEY THORN JOKE OF THE WEEK! Tracey Thorn walks into a bar. The bartender says "Hey, Tracey, why the long face?" (Forget the joke, buy the record.)

TINARIWEN - AMIN IMAN. Not a concept album about a love affair between the former ruler of Uganda and David Bowie's wife, but some more "desert blues rock" by these incredibly talented Egyptians hailed by so many.

TO ORDER AS MANY OF THESE AS YOU LIKE, OR EVEN MULTIPLE COPIES IF YOU WANT TO GIVE THEM OUT AS GIFTS, EMAIL US OR CALL (212) 244-3460! WE CAN ORDER ANYTHING ELSE YOU WANT AS WELL, EXCEPT FOR TURKEY ON RYE, BECAUSE WE'RE OUT OF TURKEY. (SAL JUST WALKED OUT)

SAL'S QUICK BUT THOROUGH NEW ORLEANS REPORT!

Got to see IRMA THOMAS for the first time. So often, I am disappointed going to see some legend in concert. Two people come to mind: Al Green and Little Richard. Both charged a small fortune for the ticket, both played less than 60 minutes, and neither finished singing a song in its entirety, with the exception of Little Richard, and that song was "On Top Of Spaghetti" from his then-new childrens' CD. Irma Thomas -- $20, 100 minutes. What did I get? Six perfectly executed performances of songs from her new Grammy-winning release, AFTER THE RAIN, as well as full-length, well-rehearsed, and completely inspired versions of every hit you'd ever want to hear. New Orleans musicians are proud. I thank you. Go to New Orleans. It's not snowing there. Tell 'em Sal sent you.

DON'T FORGET TO KEEP CHECKING OUT THIS BLOG, which for the last three weeks has had absolutely nothing new to read apart from our last three newsletters. Why? Because you never know when there's going to be some new and controversial topic, such as "TONY'S WEEK IN THE NATIONAL GUARD" or "SAL'S GOT A LITTLE BIT OF BITCH IN HIM."

SELL US YOUR CDs AND DVDs! WHY? BECAUSE WE LIKE YOU. M-O-U-S-EEEEEEEEEEEEEE.... CALL OR EMAIL TO SET IT UP!

UNTIL NEXT WEEK, WE LEAVE YOU WITH THESE TWO THINGS:

1. It's a shame that the band BOSTON is often lumped into the same bad piles as R.E.O. Speedwagon, Styx, and Kansas. Is it just because their first two records sold a quizillion copies? We never understood why that was a reason to turn them off. BOSTON and DON'T LOOK BACK are two legendary records -- yeah, that's right, legendary. And with the suicide of lead singer BRADLEY DELP, we just wanted you to know that.

2. Sal is very worried that, now that he's back, that all the bad jokes in this newsletter are going to be attributed to him, since last week's newsletter was so good when he wasn't around. With the suicide of Richard Jeni, we just wanted you to know that.

Your friends,
Bowie Kuhn and his Band of Renuhn