Shape Usa From Summer 2016

Entrails formed in 1990/91. Their goal was to follow the scene that Stockholm brought to light around the time with bands like Dismember, Entombed, Grave and many more that cemented the brilliant Swedish death metal sound from T. Skogsberg's Sunlight studio. Unfortunately, all attempts to record a demo at the time did not produce satisfactory results.

I initially thought that this Judith Owen album was a dicey proposition at best. Owen has been on a roll, as of late. Her last release, 2016’s Somebody’s Child, was a gem in the singer-songwriter genre. Actually, the album is a gem, period. Ebb & Flow, the release prior to that, made my list of best albums for 2014. She has also played a role in Smalls Change, the quirky new all-star release by Harry Shearer’s Spinal Tap alter-ego Derek Smalls. (Shearer is her husband.) Owen even carved out time for the Simpsons TV show in between successful tours of Europe and America, opening for Bryan Ferry.

Ism opens audaciously with the spiritual mic-check “You Are Free To Choose,” a track that features Junius Paul alongside Vincent Davis (drums), Justin Dillard (piano), and Corey Wilkes (horns). This is by no accident. In many ways, “You Are Free To Choose” captures the spirit of Junius Paul’s artistic roots. Corey, Justin, and Vincent were among the multigenerational cadre of Chicago musicians present when Junius chose to follow his own path of creative discovery at the storied Velvet Lounge on the South Side of the city back in October of 2002.