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Dean Danielson
Canned Heat – Instrumentals, 1967-1996
A brilliant concept: 15 instrumental selections from the ever-evolving Canned Heat’s catalog, spanning – or more accurately, bookending – 29 years. The L.A.-based band was formed in 1966 by a core of blues scholars and 78 collectors whose self-titled 1967 debut revealed them as reverent but capable interpreters, injecting life into blues standards. Boogie With…
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Dean Danielson
Rick Vito – Rattlesnake Shake
Covering the Peter Green title track may be a subliminal (or subconscious) way of reminding listeners of his early-’90s stint with Fleetwood Mac, but Vito was a Green devotee well before Green had vacated the band 20 years prior, let alone before joining the group himself. And that was just one stop on a road…
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Dean Danielson
Sam Baker – Pretty World
It’s hard to classify Austin’s Sam Baker as a singer/songwriter. Not because his songs are well-written – they’re often brilliant, invariably memorable. But Baker’s raspy, barking delivery barely qualifies as singing. It may be unconventional, but, like the songs themselves, it makes an impression. In 1986, Baker was on a train, traveling through Peru, when…
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Dean Danielson
Rick McRae- Guitarland
The retitled version of Johnny Gimble’s “Fiddlin’ Around” (“Pickin’ Around”) is a clue, but just going by the repertoire here – encompassing Jobim, Bonfa, Villa Lobos, Cole Porter, and Charlie Parker – one would never suspect that the guitarist/leader’s main gig has been backing country star George Strait for 24 years. That is, unless you…
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Dean Danielson
Walking Wounded – Bayside
This Long Island quartet had already undergone several personnel changes since its formation in 2000 before a car wreck killed drummer John “Beatz” Holohan and severely injured bassist Nick Ghanbarian. Guitarist Jack O’Shea and lead singer Anthony Raneri (the only original member left at that point) pressed on as a duo, resulting in last year’s…
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Dean Danielson
Various Artists – Viva Carlos! A Supernatural Marathon Celebration
Tribute records are well-intended and fun to conceive, but with so many out there at this point, it’s almost as though you’re slighted if one hasn’t been dedicated to you. Tone Center’s previous guitar tributes to John Coltrane, Miles Davis, the Mahavishnu Orchestra, and Steely Dan summoned so many of the same guitarists, you’ve got…
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Dean Danielson
Bayside – The Walking Wounded
This Long Island quartet had already undergone several personnel changes since its formation in 2000 before a car wreck killed drummer John “Beatz” Holohan and severely injured bassist Nick Ghanbarian. Guitarist Jack O’Shea and lead singer Anthony Raneri (the only original member left at that point) pressed on as a duo, resulting in last year’s…
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Dean Danielson
Tony Joe White – Uncovered
It was a happy day when the Swamp Fox, Tony Joe White, stopped listening to A&R men (who at one point, according to White, tried to exploit his deep voice and turn him into “Barry Joe White”) and decided to make records his own way – simple and straightforward, soulful and funky. One byproduct on…
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Dean Danielson
John 5 – The Devil Knows My Name
The third solo album from the guy with the Tele, platinum hair, and heavy makeup, best known for his work with Marilyn Manson, David Lee Roth, Rob Halford, and Rob Zombie. Several of the 11 instrumentals include clues, quotes, and references to serial killers, but the distorted onslaught is as campy as it is sinister…
