Kicking November off with 5 great songs that I have Shazamed this week. First a sad note. The music world ended October in a sad way with the passing of Lou Reed. His music career started in the late '60's (?!) as a member of the highly influential band The Velvet Underground and recorded probably his most notable song 'Walk on the Wild Side' as a solo artist in 1972. Crazy to think that this guy had been putting out music since before I was born and his most recent cd was a collaboration with Metallica. While he has moved on to a better place, he left us with a masterful collection of music that totals almost 40 cd's. Rest In Peace Lou.
And now, The Friday Five.
WILD BELLE-It's Too Late:
Led by a brother and sister duo from Chicago, this song is from their debut cd, Isles, which was released this past March. Lead singer Natalie and her multi-instrumentalist brother Elliot draw influences from reggae, funk, jazz and soul producing a super cool and sexy groove. Real good stuff. The rest of the cd sounds just as good!
J. RODDY WALSTON & THE BUSINESS-Heavy Bells:
I have a buddy that has been telling me about this Baltimore via Tennessee band for the past few years so I was really happy when I heard this track off of their recently released cd Essential Tremors. Its just great gritty rock & roll.
LUSCIOUS JACKSON-"#1 Bum":
Yes, you see this right. The ladies of Luscious Jackson are back with their first release in almost 14 years. The cd titled Magic Hour, comes out next week and is getting some great reviews. From the sound of this funky tune (and catchy video), they haven't skipped a beat. Welcome back!
KODAKID-Shake Skin:
A soulful blues rock & roll band from Waterford, Ireland (yes, Waterford Crystal originated here). They have a 3 song ep that you can download for free from their website. It includes this song 'Shake Skin' which I find very addicting. Looks like they have full length cd coming out later this year. An easy comparison is that of the Black Keys.
FIRST AID KIT-Emmylou:
The sweetest song you will hear this month is performed by these two sisters from Sweden. This is from their second cd Lions Roar which is filled with songs just as beautiful.
