Chicks Sans Dixie?

First things first: Zero points for subtlety 🙂

The last dl of the formerly Dixie Chicks in my library is the video of Not Ready to Make Nice from the 2006 release Taking the Long Way.  I for one was not in the camp of haters who decided these ladies needed to shut up and sing.  It was the near crescendo of W’s stint.  A time that seems almost quaint in comparison to today’s polarized politics.

Fast forward fourteen years and say hello to Gaslighter

GASL

I really wanted to like the title track, especially given the subject matter, but it’s just too formulaic pop.  The tracks that follow, Sleep at Night and Texas Man, more than make up for that with heaps of energetic originality.

Then it’s country ballad time with Natalie out in front on For Her.

Simmering March March wraps up the first half of the release.

Hope It’s Something Good is the standout vocal harmony for me.

Probably not a full dl but I will be snagging a lot of tracks.

Last thing last: I get the band renaming as a walk-the-walk thing, but retroactively renaming previous releases is a digital sleight of hand which would not have been possible in an earlier time.  It just feels a little overdone. 

Music > Country > The Chicks 
Wide Open Spaces 
The Chicks > 
Songs 
Ratings and Reviews 
iTunes Review 
The wild success of Wide Open 
some choice covers, including a sizz

At least they did not attempt to alter the cover art!

Let’s Jump into the Time Machine

Set the date to June 5th, 2020.

Ambrose Akinmusire – On the Tender Spot of Every Calloused Moment. Another newish release that I somehow missed initially.  I decided to sample this one after reading the review intro on AllMusic which begins with a reference to current events. A full dl quickly followed 🙂

I usually prefer my jazz a little on the smoother side, however Akinmusire keeps things lively with his lilting, playful trumpet and the band, especially bassist  Harish Raghavan stay busy adding layers and flourishes of their own.

The high points for me start at about the halfway point and continue through the end: Reset: Quiet victories build to awesome, drum-driven celebrated defeats.  Moon: Takeoff!  Classic jazz-go-round.  4623: Trumpet as schmetterling.

A Weak Week

Not a lot of exciting releases this week, so we’ll look to the future and circle back when this one is released.

Alanis has a new one coming at the end of July!

Given that this years anniversary tour has been delayed until 2021 due to you-know-what, snapping this one up is almost an obligation. Hopefully there is no further delay (The release was originally slated for May 1st).