N.r.p.s.

I have no idea why it comes as a shock that the debut solo album from the longest serving member of Guns N’ Roses (apart from Axl) would be tasty, but it is a shock, and it is rather tasty. Maybe it’s the fact that it’s G’n’R keyboardist Dizzy Reed, so you could be forgiven for expecting an album full of self indulgent piano noodling, but rather than battering the listener over the head with his own interpretations of Beethoven classics or a Jazz workout, Reed has opted to go with an album of material ripe for a Saturday night in your local dive.

Fred Jackson - Hootin' 'n Tootin' (1962) {2009 Analogue Productions Remaster}
XLD rip | FLAC+CUE+LOG -> 419 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 176 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 18 Mb
© 2009 Blue Note / Analogue Productions | CBNJ 84094 SA | DSD
Jazz / Hard Bop / Soul Jazz / Saxophone

Unjustly ignored at the time of its release, Fred Jackson's lone album, Hootin' 'N Tootin', is a thoroughly enjoyable set of funky soul-jazz with hard bop overtones. It is true that Jackson doesn't try anything new on the set, but he proves to be a capable leader, coaxing hot, infectious performances out of guitarist Willie Jones, organist Earl Vandyke, and drummer Wilbert Hogan, all of whom were collegues of Jackson in the Lloyd Price band. All of the songs on the album are Jackson originals, and while there are no substantial, memorable melodies, they provide an excellent foundation for the group's smoking interplay.

Rag‘n’Bone Man’s second album opens with hope. It’s in the sound of birdsong, filtering through the dawn sky in Nashville, where the artist born Rory Graham wrote these songs. It’s in the lyrics – words of love to friends, family, his young son, and himself. And it’s in his unmistakable voice, grown all the richer from experience as he delves into his past, present, and future. This is an album, as Graham puts it, about growing up.

Authentic, occasionally obscure, but always groovy, West Coast soul. Southern blues abounds, while gospel and Motown’s influence are also present.