N.r.p.s.

With Live at the S.E.R.P.E.N.T. Festival, Guitar legend Slash brings the blues roaring back to life. A full-throttle concert film capturing his electrifying July 17, 2024 performance at the Mission Ballroom, Colorado. Touring as part of the S.E.R.P.E.N.T. Festival, Slash and the formidable ensemble known as Slash’s Blues Ball deliver a gritty, soulful set paying homage to the legends who shaped rock and blues. Together, they tear through a blistering set of blues standards and rock staples, paying tribute to icons like Bukka White, Fleetwood Mac, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Bob Dylan, and Elmore James, while also debuting Slash’s brand-new original, Metal Chestnut. The CD features the complete concert audio, while the DVD / Blu-ray video presents the full concert film, intercut with candid behind-the-scenes interviews. Slash reflects on his deep personal connection to the blues, sharing stories behind the songs and his reverence for the artists who paved the way.

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.