| The Jayhawks — Back Roads and Abandoned Motels (July 13, 2018) |
The Jayhawks — Back Roads and Abandoned Motels
♠ Pokud chceš sbory, raději volej Lourisovi. To platí od první do poslední písně. Tak tohle je Americana legend. Již více než tři desetiletí The Jayhawks přispívá k mému komfortu hluboce melodickou, harmonicky bohatou směsí rocku, písničkářství, amerikány a moderní country. The Jayhawks přijímají konzistentní chválu od fanoušků i kritiků. «Back Roads and Abandoned Motels» rozšiřuje repertoár skupiny o zcela nové nahrávky písní, které frontman Gary Louris napsal sám, nebo ve spolupráci s dalšími esy americké scény. U Gary Lourise se jedná již o 22. album jeho diskografie. Již pojmenování minulého alba po legendárním francouzském romanopisci [Paging Mr. Proust (April 29, 2016)] by se mohlo zdát trochu domýšlivé, ale The Jayhawks nikdy nebyla kapelou pro každého. Album občas evokuje téměř vzdušný ‘Beatlesque zvuk’. Toto album natočit netrvalo dlouho. Stačila dvě sessions. Navíc, Gary Louris netrávil mnoho času se skládáním písní pro nejnovější album Jayhawks a to proto, že většinu z nich napsal již předtím. A opět supernázev alba! Na fascinujícím titulu «Back Roads and Abandoned Motels», frontman Jayhawks shromažďuje devět melodií, které napsal společně s dalšími známými umělci (Dixie Chicks, Jakob Dylan) a těmi nejobskurnějšími (Wild Feathers, Scott Thomas), z nichž většinou Gary již hrál na jejich albech. A teď se ukazuje, že Gary se rád o pravomoce rozdělí. Louris se musí v dnešní době cítit obzvláště pohodově a štědře, protože často poodstupuje od mikrofonu, aby jeho bubeník Tim O’Reagan zpíval ve dvou skladbách a klávesistka Karen Grotberg dostala pár dalších čísel. Její vokální příspěvky jsou na albu Jayhawks prvotřídní, a na základě jejího vystoupení v baladě “El Dorado” [původně nazpívané Carrie Rodriguez, zpěvačkou, houslistkou, hráčkou na mandobird a tenor kytaru] a v otvíraku “Come Cryin’ To Me” v Memphis~stylu [poprvé jsme to slyšeli na solo projektu Natalie Maines “Mother” v roce 2013] budeme doufat, že to nebude naposled. Možná není překvapivé, že tento rys dělá z «Back Roads and Abandoned Motels» docela velkým albem. Louris ošetřuje jeho level neuvěřitelně chytlavou “Backward Women”, napsanou ‘divokým perem’, ta ještě nikdy nebyla zveřejněna a stává se jednou z nejdůležitějších písní tohoto disku. Je spousta lidí, kteří požadují písničky, které napsali s jinými lidmi. Jsou tak zároveň fanoušky těch písní, ne pouze kapely. „My jsme archivovali to, o čem jsme si mysleli, že je to nejlepší seznam, a začali jsme je hrát, a některé písničky daly větší smysl než jiné s tím, jak zněly s námi,” říká Louris. „Přesně tak to bylo.” Kooperace Scotta Thomase jako frontmana u mikrofonu v “Need You Tonight” (Emerson Hart) dostala dobře zúročenou druhou šanci a stala se jednou z těch nejsilnějších písní v této aktualizované, tvrdší verzi. Dvě skladby od Dixie Chicks z jejich 12 let starého alba «Taking the Long Way» prodělaly úpravu,konkrétně “Everybody Knows” [Martie Maguire, Natalie Maines, Emily Robison, Gary Louris] a “Bitter End” [Maguire, Maines, Robison, Louris], které zvukově působí svěže, jsou to tvrdší verze a působení času jim dodává patinu, takže současné výstupy se tváří inspirovaně, jako když je Chicks je tenkrát nahrávali. Louris a Jakob Dylan dávají příspěvek k sérii True Blood “Gonna Be a Darkness”, která zní jako úžasná b~strana od dua Simon & Garfunkel. Dvě nové skladby album uzavírají a jsou jediné, na kterých Louris nepozval spolupracovníky. Obě jsou to skutečně solidní písně, i když zamilovaná balada “Carry You To Safety” a na klavír vypinkávaná “Leaving Detroit,” zabývající se zneužívajícím vztahem s mrazivou upřímností, byly shromážděny z různých let a s pomocí jiných umělců. Přesto — «Back Road And Abandoned Motel» lze chápat jako soudržné, organické dílo a jako to nejlepší od Jayhawks — zcela v souladu s kvalitou toho, co jim předcházelo.
♠ Lush alt~country act of the 1990s, known for its melancholic songwriting, impeccable playing, and the honeyed harmonies of Mark Olson and Gary Louris. Formed: 1985 in Minneapolis, MN
Gary born: March 10, 1955
Origin: Toledo, Ohio, United States
Location: Minneapolis, MN
Album release: July 13, 2018
Recorded: Flowers Studio
Record Label: Legacy
Duration: 45:32
Tracks:
01 Come Cryin’ to Me 3:41
02 Everybody Knows 4:09
03 Gonna Be a Darkness 4:58
04 Bitter End 4:16
05 Backwards Women 3:37
06 Long Time Ago 3:57
07 Need You Tonight 3:17
08 El Dorado 4:06
09 Bird Never Flies 3:54
10 Carry You to Safety 5:25
11 Leaving Detroit 4:12
℗ 2018 Sony Music Entertainment
Personnel:
♠ Gary Louris — vocals, guitar
♠ Marc Perlman — bass
♠ Tim O’Reagan — vocals, drums
♠ Karen Grotberg — vocals, keys
♠ John Jackson — mandolin, violin, guitar
Production
♠ Gary Louris — producer
♠ John Jackson — producer
♠ Ed Ackerson — producer
Review
Written By Hal Horowitz // July 10, 2018 // Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
♠ Gary Louris didn’t spend much time composing songs for the Jayhawks’ newest album. That’s because he had already co-written most of them.
♠ On the intriguingly titled Back Roads And Abandoned Motels, the Jayhawks frontman collects nine tunes he penned in conjunction with other artists, both well known (the Dixie Chicks, Jakob Dylan) and more obscure (Wild Feathers, Scott Thomas), most of whom performed them on their albums. He gives those songs, along with two new ones, a whirl with the Jayhawks backing band, recording all 11 in just two sessions.
♠ Louris must be feeling particularly generous these days because he steps away from the mic to let drummer Tim O’Reagan sing lead on two selections and keyboardist Karen Grotberg gets a few more. Her vocal contributions are the first on a Jayhawks album, and, based on her performance of the ballad “El Dorado” (originally recorded by Carrie Rodriguez) and the Memphis~styled opener “Come Cryin’ To Me” (first heard on Natalie Maines’ 2013 solo project Mother), will hopefully not be the last.
♠ Perhaps not surprisingly, this makes for a pretty great Jayhawks album. Louris rescues the impossibly catchy “Backward Women,” written with the Wild Feathers yet never previously recorded, which becomes one of this disc’s highlights. The Thomas co-write “Need You Tonight” gets a well~earned second chance and becomes a sturdier song in this updated, tougher version. Two Dixie Chicks tracks receive the Jayhawks treatment with “Everybody Knows” and “Bitter End” dusted off and sounding as fresh and inspired as when the Chicks recorded them. And kudos to Louris for liberating his and Jakob Dylan’s seldom heard contribution to the True Blood series “Gonna Be a Darkness,” which sounds like a terrific Simon & Garfunkel b side.
♠ Two new compositions close the album and are the only ones on which Louris didn’t tap collaborators. They’re both solid Jayhawks songs even if neither the strummy love ballad “Carry You To Safety” nor the piano tinkling “Leaving Detroit,” which addresses an abusive relationship with chilling candor, are quite up to the quality of what preceded them.
♠ At this late stage, Gary Louris doesn’t need to rehash older music. He has proven his talents as a moving songsmith and distinctive, emotional vocalist with his three decade and counting work for the Jayhawks. He’s rightfully established as an integral component of the Americana genre. Regardless, it’s terrific to hear these Louris co~composed songs interpreted by the band. Even though they were assembled from different years and with other artists’ input, Back Roads And Abandoned Motels feels as cohesive and organic as the best Jayhawks releases. ♠ http://americansongwriter.com/
Label: https://www.legacyrecordings.com/
Website: http://www.jayhawksofficial.com/ / Flowers Studio, MN: http://www.flowersstudio.com/
Website: http://garylourismusic.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/the_jayhawks
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jayhawksofficial/
Also:
BY STACY CHANDLER, JULY 5, 2018
♠ http://nodepression.com/article/blowing-embers-jayhawks%E2%80%99-gary-louris-writing-others
Discography:
With the Jayhawks:
•… The Jayhawks (1986), also known as the Bunkhouse Tapes
•… Blue Earth (1989)
•… Hollywood Town Hall (1992)
•… Tomorrow the Green Grass (1995)
•… Sound of Lies (1997)
•… Smile (2000)
•… Rainy Day Music (2003)
•… Live from the Women’s Club (Volumes One and Two)
•… Mockingbird Time (2011)
•… Live at The Belly Up (2015)
•… Paging Mr. Proust (2016)
•… Back Roads and Abandoned Motels (2018)
With Safety Last:
•… Struck by Love (1983, Twin/Tone Records)
With Golden Smog:
•… On Golden Smog (1992)
•… Down by the Old Mainstream (1996)
•… Weird Tales (1998)
•… Another Fine Day (2006)
•… Blood on the Slacks (2007)
Solo:
•… Vagabonds (2008)
•… Acoustic Vagabonds (2008)
With Mark Olson:
•… Ready for the Flood (2008)
With Au Pair:
•… One Armed Candy Bear (2015)
__■■__________♠♠__________■■___________♠♠________________■■___
| The Jayhawks — Back Roads and Abandoned Motels (July 13, 2018) |
♠ Lush alt~country act of the 1990s, known for its melancholic songwriting, impeccable playing, and the honeyed harmonies of Mark Olson and Gary Louris. Formed: 1985 in Minneapolis, MN
Gary born: March 10, 1955
Origin: Toledo, Ohio, United States
Location: Minneapolis, MN
Album release: July 13, 2018
Recorded: Flowers Studio
Record Label: Legacy
Duration: 45:32
Tracks:
01 Come Cryin’ to Me 3:41
02 Everybody Knows 4:09
03 Gonna Be a Darkness 4:58
04 Bitter End 4:16
05 Backwards Women 3:37
06 Long Time Ago 3:57
07 Need You Tonight 3:17
08 El Dorado 4:06
09 Bird Never Flies 3:54
10 Carry You to Safety 5:25
11 Leaving Detroit 4:12
℗ 2018 Sony Music Entertainment
Personnel:
♠ Gary Louris — vocals, guitar
♠ Marc Perlman — bass
♠ Tim O’Reagan — vocals, drums
♠ Karen Grotberg — vocals, keys
♠ John Jackson — mandolin, violin, guitar
Production
♠ Gary Louris — producer
♠ John Jackson — producer
♠ Ed Ackerson — producer
Review
Written By Hal Horowitz // July 10, 2018 // Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
♠ Gary Louris didn’t spend much time composing songs for the Jayhawks’ newest album. That’s because he had already co-written most of them.
♠ On the intriguingly titled Back Roads And Abandoned Motels, the Jayhawks frontman collects nine tunes he penned in conjunction with other artists, both well known (the Dixie Chicks, Jakob Dylan) and more obscure (Wild Feathers, Scott Thomas), most of whom performed them on their albums. He gives those songs, along with two new ones, a whirl with the Jayhawks backing band, recording all 11 in just two sessions.
♠ Louris must be feeling particularly generous these days because he steps away from the mic to let drummer Tim O’Reagan sing lead on two selections and keyboardist Karen Grotberg gets a few more. Her vocal contributions are the first on a Jayhawks album, and, based on her performance of the ballad “El Dorado” (originally recorded by Carrie Rodriguez) and the Memphis~styled opener “Come Cryin’ To Me” (first heard on Natalie Maines’ 2013 solo project Mother), will hopefully not be the last.
♠ Perhaps not surprisingly, this makes for a pretty great Jayhawks album. Louris rescues the impossibly catchy “Backward Women,” written with the Wild Feathers yet never previously recorded, which becomes one of this disc’s highlights. The Thomas co-write “Need You Tonight” gets a well~earned second chance and becomes a sturdier song in this updated, tougher version. Two Dixie Chicks tracks receive the Jayhawks treatment with “Everybody Knows” and “Bitter End” dusted off and sounding as fresh and inspired as when the Chicks recorded them. And kudos to Louris for liberating his and Jakob Dylan’s seldom heard contribution to the True Blood series “Gonna Be a Darkness,” which sounds like a terrific Simon & Garfunkel b side.
♠ Two new compositions close the album and are the only ones on which Louris didn’t tap collaborators. They’re both solid Jayhawks songs even if neither the strummy love ballad “Carry You To Safety” nor the piano tinkling “Leaving Detroit,” which addresses an abusive relationship with chilling candor, are quite up to the quality of what preceded them.
♠ At this late stage, Gary Louris doesn’t need to rehash older music. He has proven his talents as a moving songsmith and distinctive, emotional vocalist with his three decade and counting work for the Jayhawks. He’s rightfully established as an integral component of the Americana genre. Regardless, it’s terrific to hear these Louris co~composed songs interpreted by the band. Even though they were assembled from different years and with other artists’ input, Back Roads And Abandoned Motels feels as cohesive and organic as the best Jayhawks releases. ♠ http://americansongwriter.com/
Label: https://www.legacyrecordings.com/
Website: http://www.jayhawksofficial.com/ / Flowers Studio, MN: http://www.flowersstudio.com/
Website: http://garylourismusic.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/the_jayhawks
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jayhawksofficial/
Also:
BY STACY CHANDLER, JULY 5, 2018
♠ http://nodepression.com/article/blowing-embers-jayhawks%E2%80%99-gary-louris-writing-others
Discography:
With the Jayhawks:
•… The Jayhawks (1986), also known as the Bunkhouse Tapes
•… Blue Earth (1989)
•… Hollywood Town Hall (1992)
•… Tomorrow the Green Grass (1995)
•… Sound of Lies (1997)
•… Smile (2000)
•… Rainy Day Music (2003)
•… Live from the Women’s Club (Volumes One and Two)
•… Mockingbird Time (2011)
•… Live at The Belly Up (2015)
•… Paging Mr. Proust (2016)
•… Back Roads and Abandoned Motels (2018)
With Safety Last:
•… Struck by Love (1983, Twin/Tone Records)
With Golden Smog:
•… On Golden Smog (1992)
•… Down by the Old Mainstream (1996)
•… Weird Tales (1998)
•… Another Fine Day (2006)
•… Blood on the Slacks (2007)
Solo:
•… Vagabonds (2008)
•… Acoustic Vagabonds (2008)
With Mark Olson:
•… Ready for the Flood (2008)
With Au Pair:
•… One Armed Candy Bear (2015)
__■■__________♠♠__________■■___________♠♠________________■■___