11th studio album from this great texas band, this may be my favorite release of 2017 so far. the band has always rode that fine line between roadhouse rockabilly and l.a. punk, and as such they have always been on the outside looking in regarding mainstream rock, and this is no exception. in fact, it basically defines their career. i have listened to it at least a half dozen times, and i love it more after each spin. the first song (‘i don’t want to die in this town’) may be perfect, if you don’t mind a straight up, in your face high octane offering, replete with washes of twangy high reverb guitar swatches. it should be played loud.

recorded in the same venue they used for their first major label debut in 1996 – ‘too far too care’ – this is in many ways a return to their roots but with a nod to 20 years on the road. ‘good with god’ features brandi carlisle on vocals and songwriter credits. ‘jesus loves you’ is a great ditty about trying to woo a religious female at a bar, with such catchy pick up lines as ‘he’s got the whole world in his hands, i’ve got lone star in a can’. hard to argue with that.

https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2017/02/old-97s-full-session.html

this is quite simply one of the best bands out there today. they are captured here on tour in the most recent iteration of the group showcasing their current studio release, ‘let me get by’. recorded last year at the venerable old fox theater in oakland, it has a healthy mix of their originals plus a diverse offering of covers from artists such as clapton, dylan, beatles, miles davis, leonard cohen, santana, and others. the eleven piece band is a well oiled machine and can tackle all of the genres that derek and susan incorporate into their overall sound. accompanying the two cd set is a dvd of most of the whole show, with vignettes between songs introducing the main characters and the venue. of special note is derek and special guest alam khan dueting with derek on his gibson and alam on the sarode. i can think of no other guitarist alive today who could have pulled this off this beautifully. well worth your time.

southern culture on the skids (also known simply as ‘scots’) is a trio hailing from north carolina and have been playing for over thirty years. this is the first album of theirs i have ever bought. the genres on display on this release run the gamut from rockabilly, surf rock, late sixties psychedelia, and campy punk. rick miller is the main songwriter and only guitarist, and he is a force to be reckoned with. he easily slides between all of the aforementioned styles, and does it with confidence and what seems like a natural lyricism. he can effortlessly switch from eddie cochran to dick dale to jorma kaokonen. witness ‘meximelt’ below.

if you left off the two campier songs (‘midnight caller’ and ‘rice and beans’), i would feel more comfortable giving this a more enthusiastic recommendation. but it is worth giving it a streaming test drive if any of this sounds intriguing to you.

http://www.scots.com/

the devil makes three is an interesting trio that i have been listening to for a few years. a curious blend of folk, bluegrass, old timey ragtime and the blues, they are a very enjoyable bunch. on their most recent release, they go a slightly different route and do a concept album of sorts. the first ‘side’ is six songs about ruin – tales of drugs and alcohol written by such legends as robert johson, muddy waters, kris kristofferson and townes van zandt. the second ‘side’ is six songs about redemption – gospel tinged nuggets by such luminaries as ralph stanley, tom waits, charlie monroe and hank williams sr.

i have a few of their previous albums and it is all pretty much original material, and so it is a little interesting that this release is all covers, but they are all well selected and well played. recorded at john prine’s studio in nashville, they round out their trio with a great backup band and some notable bluegrass stars such as jerry douglas, emmylou harris, tim o’brien, and darrell scott.

i love their enthusiasm for older genres and their ability to fuse them all for a new audience. this is a good starting point if you have never heard of them.

The Devil Makes Three: Redemption Songs

http://www.cincinnati.com/story/entertainment/music/2017/01/11/underneath-covers-devil-makes-three/96451634/

nathaniel rateliff and the night sweats have been touring so incessantly promoting their breakthrough debut album from 2015 that they haven’t had proper time to write and record new material, so in the meantime they released some outtakes and live tracks from the original release. both are worth having. mix a little sam cooke with the asbury jukes and you get a modern version of a good old fashioned r&b party band. they just announced last week they will be the opening band for the kings of leon summer tour. i would rather see them in a smaller club, but hopefully this will help them get some traction for a larger audience.

http://www.nbc.com/the-tonight-show/video/nathaniel-rateliff-the-night-sweats-sob/2888764

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/nathaniel-rateliff-on-breakthrough-year-next-lp-w429877