Handle

Jim White vs. The Packway Handle Band - Take It Like A Man (2015) {Yep Roc Records YEP-2409}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 242 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 88 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 15 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 2015 Yep Roc Records | YEP-2409
Alternative Country / Bluegrass / Americana / Alternative Folk

Given the backwoods surrealism and shifting musical textures of most of his work, Jim White is not a guy who often comes off as playful or joyous, but those are two words that easily describe White's collaboration with the Athens, Georgia roots band the Packway Handle Band, 2014's Take It Like a Man. White and the Packway Handle Band are mutual admirers, and when White stepped in to produce an album for the group, he brought along a set of bluegrass-influenced tunes he'd written. The project turned into a co-starring effort, and the meet-up brings out the best in all parties concerned.

Boston's Jiggle The Handle is led by guitar phenom and vocalist Gary Backstrom. With a blues rock sound at its core, Jiggle's uncanny ability to incorporate soulful disco into songs like "Fine Line," Allman Brothers-inspired groove-rock into "Finally," and reggae into "Slow Down," makes it impossible to slap-shot the band into a readymade category. Even African melodies and percussion slip in and out of Jiggle's sound.

Too Hot to Handle was the debut album from the soul/funk ensemble Heatwave, and it was well received by R&B and pop fans. Their initial release was the disco anthem “Boogie Nights.” From the suspenseful, interlude-like intro to the adamant vocal delivery, the single had a lasting effect on the charts. It peaked at numbers five and two on the Billboard R&B and pop charts, respectively. The ballad “Always and Forever” was and continues to be an ageless piece. Johnnie Wilder’s vocal exhibition throughout the vamp is breathtaking. It peaked at number two on the Billboard R&B charts. These two releases were respectively certified platinum and gold singles. Heatwave did not waste any recording time. This album employs nothing but quality tracks. The moderately paced “Ain’t No Half Steppin’” was received warmly by radio, and it remains a staple.

Clarke-Boland Big Band - Handle With Care (1963) {2013 Japan Jazz Best Collection 1000 Series 24bit WPCR-27294}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 262 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 81 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 111 Mb | 5% repair rar | 24-bit remaster
© 1963, 2013 Atlantic / Warner Japan / Rhino | WPCR-27294 | Jazz Best Collection 1000 Series
Jazz / Modern Big Band / Progressive Jazz

Features 24 bit remastering and comes with a mini-description. Great work by this legendary hard swinging band – an early 60s American album issued on Atlantic Records, in the years before the Clark Boland Band's legendary run on MPS! Despite the early date, the album's got all the core elements of the band's sound in place – soaring rhythms, sharp-edged frontlines, and some great solo work by players who include Benny Bailey, Derek Humble, Jimmy Woode, Shahib Shihab, Idrees Sulieman, and Fats Sadi – coming together in a brilliant trans-Atlantic meeting of jazz talents! Tracks include "Long Note Blues", "Speedy Reeds", "Sonor", and "Om Mani Padme Hum".

Tony Joe White's Hard to Handle album is built around a concert recording made in 1969 or 1970. It features White swaggering through a clutch of tough-as-rock blues and soul covers like Big Joe Williams' "Baby Please Don't Go," Otis Redding's "Hard to Handle" and Jimmy Reed's "You Got Me Runnin'," as well as some originals. "I Want You" is a sludgy, nasty groover that has some truly scuzzy guitar solos and sounds like it could have come off a Jon Spencer Blues Explosion record, one of White's trademark swampy story songs "Roosevelt & Ira Lee (Night of the Moccasin)," and "When You Touch Me," a slight and uninteresting jam. Too bad the whole concert sounds like it was recorded through a wall of steel wool. The vocals are muffled at times; the sound cuts in and out and generally sounds no better than a hastily made bootleg. A couple of the songs ("I Want You" in particular) show White to be a dynamic performer with a lot more guts than one might imagine.