Whether as John Cougar, John Cougar Mellencamp or John Mellencamp – the US songwriter always had stories to tell. In “Strictly A One Eyed Jack” (Republic) he now wants us to believe that he is not only the nice do-gooder next door, but also has his dark side.
“I Always Lie To Strangers” – even the start of the album by a man who has seen and experienced a lot and now, at a mature age, dares to look at what lies behind him, tends to omit the happiness, as you can see from ” Chasing Rainbows,” where he packs the message that those who don’t just lust for money (and power) might find happiness in it. But otherwise Mellencamp is very introverted, if not to say melancholic, shaped by the isolation caused by a virus that obviously caused him to develop the big blues.
Don’t get me wrong: “Strictly A One-Eyed Jack” is a folk rock album by a musician with a lot of experience and just as much wisdom from life, in the last third of which he finds himself, but it could have used a few happier tones. So it’s fitting that Bruce Springsteen stopped by Mellencamp’s home studio for three songs.
You’re particularly satisfied with “Wasted Days”, a fine rock song that makes you find your center and quickly draws the Useful Day card – and you think about how many a day you might have wasted. But without this realization one could no longer enjoy the present days.
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They waste no words and yet say so much. The four ladies of Los Bitchos have opened their eyes wide in their musical cosmos and play “Let The Festivities Begin” (City Slang) a form of outrageously entertaining and rousing party music, situated somewhere between South American lightness, a saloon atmosphere as Quentin Tarantino would design it, and pop. It also doesn’t matter which drawer you open for the Festl revelers, you wouldn’t do them justice. So just listen to “Pista (Fresh Start)” and see what it does to you. If you start dancing on the table, don’t be alarmed. This is completely normal.
Blues and Soul from Stuttgart
One should not be deceived. What sounds like it comes from the middle of the American West has its origins in Stuttgart. So at least Philipp Eißler (guitar, vocals) and Joscha Brettschneider (guitar) are from here. The two are brothers in spirit BRTHRwho appear on their EP “Be Alright” (Backseat) in relaxed mode and with fine grooves invite you to a mental journey over endlessly long streets and lonely areas. The quality of their songs shows in the repetition, because that’s where the compositions like the title song “Be Alright” or the beautiful “Homeward Bound” gain in quality. Good songwriting, recognizable roots in the tradition of blues and soul and thrilling thanks to the strong horn section.
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There is such a phenomenon in rock music, according to which the e-guitar processors with their legs apart and the image of the “tough guys” mutate into true fiber flatterers when you pull the plug on their instruments. This may not always go together, but it is well known that two hearts can beat in one breast.
Corey Taylorsinger of Slipknot and Stone Sour (both bands are currently on hold), has opted for his solo project “CMFB…Sides” (Roadrunner) took nine B-sides and put them on an album in which the quiet, because mostly acoustic versions (“Kansas”, “Halfway Down”, “Home”) take the impact of songs like “Shakin'”. The album is not homogeneous, but it is easy to listen to like a playlist. And on “On The Dark Side” the e-guitars are on the rise, but in the end the harmony dominates here too. It doesn’t look too bad for the seasoned rocker either.
Source: Nachrichten
