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Reviewed by Harry Kaplan

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Sloppy Heads: Sometimes Just One Second (Shrimper Records) – Album Review

Reviewed by Harry Kaplan

If you took The Pixies, The Velvet Underground, The Black Lips, and The Jesus And Mary Chain and threw them in a blender and ground ’em up real good, you would end up with the essence of Sloppy Heads. This is just what the doctor ordered if you like your music noisy and a little sloppy. And when I say sloppy, I am talking in a good way. How is sloppy good, you ask? I’m glad you brought that up. Sloppy in this context means not terribly worried about playing everything note for note. Leaving room for improvisation and focusing more on the groove and the chemistry of the musicians rather than just the technical aspects of the music. I guess a synonym would be “looseness”. But that is a very touchy thing. There is a balancing act. You can’t be too loose or too tight and Sloppy Heads get it “just right”.

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Maia Sharp: Reckless Thoughts (Crooked Crown Records) – Album Review

Reviewed by Harry Kaplan

Singer/Songwriter Maia Sharp has been doing it a long time. This is her 30th year in the music biz. Although not a household name yet, she has made many significant contributions in her own solo career as well as working with other artists. Reckless Thoughts is Maia’s ninth solo effort. Along with those releases, Maia has worked with many well established artists such as Cher, Trisha Yearwood, Terri Clark, Bonnie Raitt, Edwin McCain, and Art Garfunkel. That’s a pretty impressive list of artists.

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Beth Bombara: It All Goes Up (Black Mesa Records) – Album Review

Reviewed by Harry Kaplan

Beth did it again. She released another fantastic album that really deserves some serious attention. She doesn’t have a big machine behind her or an unlimited budget. Despite these hurdles, Beth delivers a release that has the sound and feel of a major label release. A professional band, sublime vocals and harmonies, great songwriting, and top notch production and engineering.

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Nat Meyers: Yellow Peril (Easy Eye Sound Distributed by Concord) – Album Review

Reviewed by Harry Kaplan

Take a trip back to the Mississippi Delta circa 1900 with Nat Meyers. He is able to assimilate the essence of all those great country and delta blues artists such as Robert Johnson, Mississippi John Hurt, Furry Lewis, et. al. I mean he nails it like a carpenter fastening two pieces of wood. The music is so complete and so authentic you cannot discern which period of time you are in. The only clue is the recording quality, which is definitely modern. There are no pops, crackles, or warbles, which some may argue detracts from the authenticity, but I say nay. The impeccable recording quality of Yellow Peril only adds to the wonderful listening experience. Those extraneous noises in the old recordings make listening a challenge. Yellow Fever takes those obstacles away and you are left with pure 24 karat gold. No fillers or impurities.

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Marty Stuart And His Fabulous Superlatives: Altitude (Superlatone Creative Group under exclusive license to Snakefarm Records) – Album Review

Reviewed by Harry Kaplan

Get ready to embark on a cosmic journey with Marty Stuart And His Fabulous Superlatives as they unleash their new album, “Altitude“. This electrifying album takes the essence of outlaw country and injects it with an undeniable psychedelic flair, transporting listeners to new heights of musical euphoria. With its mesmerizing blend of classic country charm and innovative sonic wizardry, “Altitude” is a sonic experience that will leave you craving for more. So fasten your seatbelts and prepare to soar through the cosmic cowboy realm with Marty and the boys!

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Son Volt: Day Of The Doug (Transmit Sound/Thirty Tigers) – Album Review

Reviewed by Harry Kaplan

I don’t usually pay close attention to collections where an artist or group covers an entire album of another artist’s music. I have in the past and I am usually disappointed. I have a certain expectation about the sound based on the work of the previous artist. Frankly, the tribute album very rarely lives up to the original recordings. Of course there are exceptions to all rules. “Dwight Sings Buck” from 2007 is the first one that comes to mind. That is a collection of Buck Owens tunes that were interpreted by Dwight. That is one of the few tribute albums where it matched the quality of the original recordings. The other one that comes to mind is “Songs Of Sahm” by The Bottle Rockets from 2001. That is another collection of Doug Sahm’s music. The third example is of course “Day Of The Doug“.

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