Modern Love (2008)

Michael Burks' third release on Alligator Records, Iron Man, is as close to being a live album as you can get from a studio performance. This could be attributed to Burks using his seasoned road band on this date instead of the Memphis studio musicians used previously on Make It Rain and I Smell Smoke. Alongside Burks' searing Flying V strut, Wayne Sharp's greasy Hammond B-3 dominates this set, reveling in soul and rock influences, including a cover version of Free's "Fire and Water," a definite nod to the blues-rock audience Burks has gained over his 30-plus years on the road. While Iron Man is an overall inspired modern electric blues disc, a few missteps hamper the session. "Ashes in My Ashtray," penned by Chicago bluesman Jimmy Johnson, would have made a better instrumental in this particular case, as the lyrics get in the way of an intense Burks guitar performance.

Mike Zito is a rocker at heart, influenced by his AOR heroes and the music he grew up with living from St. Louis to Texas. There's a distinct blues element present on this, his fifth CD, but it is subsumed by the Southern-style rock & roll songs he has developed and refined. Playing tunes that define his life, Zito's music needs little explanation or embellishment – he's as straightforward as they come, with no punches pulled. He's prone to get funky on occasion, or go into acoustic unplugged mode, but for the most part, he sticks to tried-and-true upbeat rock songs such as "Love Like This" and "Universe," which define where he's at.

Chicago blues drips from the raw and gritty music of Magic Slim. His vocals are delivered like a champion boxer punches. His sharp, fast lead guitar notes are drenched in sweat. His rife rhythms rock like a ship that’s tossed about by a hellacious storm. His potent backing band – comprised of Jon McDonald (guitar), Danny O’Connor (bass), and David Simms (drums) – is more than capable of supporting the master. Together with Slim, they are considered to be one of the last real Chicago blues bands. Magic Slim doesn’t need to rely on guest stars in order to make a great CD. Still, eight confidant colleagues, including Otis Clay and Elvin Bishop, appear throughout the 47-minute disc. This is practically a 100% pure Chicago blues record. It was recorded in Chicago, it was produced by a Chicago blues artist, the cover photo and CD design were created by a Chicago graphic artist, most of the songs were written by Chicago artists, and the guests are all associated with Chicago.

Aretha Franklin is one of the giants of soul music, and indeed of American pop as a whole. More than any other performer, she epitomized soul at its most gospel-charged. Her astonishing run of late-'60s hits with Atlantic Records "Respect," "I Never Loved a Man," "Chain of Fools," "Baby I Love You," "I Say a Little Prayer," "Think," "The House That Jack Built," and several others earned her the title "Lady Soul," which she has worn uncontested ever since.

Paula Morelenbaum's Telecoteco is one of the most subtle, original and successful tributes to Bossa Nova to come out of Brazil in recent years. It also made the top 10 list of 2008 albums compiled by renowned Brazilian newspaper O Globo.
Telecoteco presents itself as somewhat of a free essay on modern pop music in Brazil. Thus, its repertoire emerges like a proposal on the fundamentals of Brazilian songwriting: diversity of styles and nationalities with an openness towards influences and modernization. In essence, Telecoteco brings to the forefront the wide range, the crossover, the invention, the simplicity, the sophistication, the popular alongside the classical and the passion right next to the irony…