The Rock Dose

U2, Eric Clapton and The Boss to Perform at Rock Hall Party

Posted: 23 Jul 2009 10:47 AM PDT

On October 29th and 30th, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame will celebrate its 25th anniversary with a pair of star-studded shows at Madison Square Garden. The likes of U2, Eric Clapton, Bruce Springsteen, Paul Simon, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin and Metallica will all perform sets over the course of the two-night stand.

All of these performers are also inductees into the hall with several of the shows featuring guest performances by many collaborating musicians. Rolling Stone magazine reported that Stevie Wonder and Aretha Franklin would be fronting a classic soul revue backed up by Paul Schaffer and the CBS Orchestra.

General-public tickets will go on sale August 3rd, but chief sponsor American Express is offering cardholders an extravegant presale from July 27th to August 2nd, with VIP packages ranging from $750 to $100,000. HBO will be showing a a special featuring highlights from the two-night show.

Photo: ZUMA Press

Post from: The Rock Dose

G. Love & Special Sauce: an overlooked album

Posted: 23 Jul 2009 09:37 AM PDT

Back in 1994, G. Love and Special Sauce released its self-titled debut LP to very little critical fanfare. However, the album almost went gold on the merits of the song “Cold Beverage”, which wound up in heavy rotation on MTV. The band has since gone on to record six more albums together and is currently signed to Jack Johnson’s Brushfire Records. However, it is the belief of this blogger that the band’s first album represents its best creative effort and is largely overlooked as a seminal album of its time.

There is a fleeting rawness to this album; the kind of energy that is often evident in the fevered buzz of rehearsal sessions when the absence of expectation allows a certain swagger to emerge. That comfort is evident as the album begins with “The Things That I Used To Do”, as the fluid bass roll of Jimi Prescott synchs up effortlesly with the limber tautness of Jeffrey Clemens’ drums. Garret Dutton(G. Love) garnishes the infectious rhythm with peppered chords, placed with a pronounced lag that is perfectly on time. And then come the vocals; an affected philadelphian lilt that is at once a lazy hommage to the blues greats and an open channel to the emerging hip-hop sounds of the day.

It is the combination of these elements and the captured energy of the sessions that really define this album as a seemingly overlooked nexus in the great musical continuum. Many reviews simply passed the recording off as a half-hearted attempt at hip-hop, completely missing the classic simplicity, the blatant respects being paid to the blues genre. From the Lou Reed inflected riffs of “Blues Music” to the lazy sliding bass of “Eyes Have Miles”, these songs suggest all of the classic blues progressions and phrasings without making the mistake of falling into a cliched regurgitation. Instead, Dutton flattens his vocal delivery, imbuing it with all of the attitude and character without running up and down those hexatonic blues scales. But, as you listen, you can hear those classic vocals singing along to the snycopated hip-hop delivery and therein lies the perhaps involuntary genius of this record; the ability to reveal the derivative without stating forthright.

Still, it’s the drum-tight rhythm of this trio that makes this album move and gives it its irrepressible energy. Take a listen to “Rhyme For The Summertime” or “Walk To Slide” and follow the tight grooves as they breathe with ease while providing the perfect platform for Dutton’s deft lyricism; a heady mix of descriptive city-scapes, neighborhood characters and busted summer love affairs.

And yet, amidst all of this effortless interpretation of groove and feel, the album also gives a glimpse into what would become the future trajectory of the band. “This Ain’t Living” represents a more structured attempt at song-writing and a melodic chorus that foretells the slicker and more instrumentally full sound that the band would find on albums like Yeah, It’s That Easy, Philadelphonic and Electric Mile. These days, the band can still be seen tearing it up with their energetic live show. Follow their progress and check out all of their tour stops here.

Photos: ZUMA Press

Post from: The Rock Dose