Yes Roosevelt

Roosevelt Sykes expertly fit his classic, down-home piano riffs and style into a fabric that also contained elements of soul, funk, and R&B. The nine-cut date, reissued by Original Blues Classics, included such laments as "I Hate to Be Alone," "Lonely Day," and "She Ain't for Nobody," as well as the poignant "Yes Lawd," and less weighty "Satellite Baby" and "Jailbait." Besides Sykes' alternately bemused, ironic, and inviting vocals, there's superb tenor sax support from King Curtis, Robert Banks' tasty organ, and steady, nimble bass and drum assistance by Leonard Gaskin and drummer Belton Evans.

The highly anticipated third studio album from the global touring artist and in-demand producer is a reconnection to his musical roots: this is a record dominated by warm lights, laid back choruses, Balearic sunsets, subtle hues, and an analogue aesthetic. An album engineered with the precision and expertise of a production master yet born from the creative passion of the genre’s biggest fan. Playing almost every instrument on the record, Roosevelt created ‘Polydans’ by swirling together the spirits of 80s synth, disco, analogue, Yacht rock and delirious dancefloor euphoria with amazing results. It is, quite simply, a feast for fans of the electronic genre, and a feat of expertly crafted pop that feels current yet nostalgic, club-ready yet heartachingly warm.

Sykes's lyrical images are as vivid and amusing as ever on this 1960 set, with titles like "Set the Meat Outdoors" and "Hangover" among its standouts. Other than drummer Jump Jackson, the quartet behind the pianist is pretty obscure, but they rock his boogies with a vengeance. Contains a nice remake of his classic "Drivin' Wheel."

Roosevelt - Roosevelt (2016) {City Slang – Slang50102}
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© 2016 City Slang | Slang50102
Pop / Electronic / Synth Pop / Electro Pop / French Touch / Yacht Rock

Roosevelt is Marius Lauber, who leant the sensibilities of both his indie rock background and the techno scene of his adopted base of Cologne, Germany to his debut single, "Sea," released in 2012. That song, with its grooving, summery flow, brought him to the attention of labels. The tune appears here on his eponymous Roosevelt debut, released by City Slang and Greco-Roman, which is co-owned by Joe Goddard of Hot Chip. The album's techno-infused indie pop manages to incorporate dance tropes (four on the floor, '80s Casio tones, occasional tropical instruments, etc.) without turning out mere style exercises.

This 52-disc (no, that is not a typo) comp, ABC of the Blues: The Ultimate Collection from the Delta to the Big Cities, may just indeed live up to its name. There are 98 artists represented , performing 1,040 tracks. The music begins at the beginning (though the set is not sequenced chronologically) with Charlie Patton, Son House, and Robert Johnson, and moves all the way through the vintage Chicago years of Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf, with stops along the way in Texas, Louisiana, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee, New York, and all points in between. Certainly, some of these artists are considered more rhythm & blues than purely blues artists: the inclusion of music by Johnny Otis, Wynonie Harris, Bo Diddley, and others makes that clear.