Scroll down please, I'm last but not least!
Hidden gems of 2001 deserve to be heard
by Larry Katz
Thursday, January 10, 2002
The Britney Spears and Bob Dylans of the world have no trouble getting noticed. Big names never do. Little names should have it so good. Every year, total and near- unknowns put heart and talent into making CDs that go unnoticed, no matter how accomplished. Before we turn our attention to the new releases of 2002, here's a rapid rundown of worthy CDs of 2001 that escaped almost all notice.You probably haven't heard these names - but that doesn't mean their music is not worth hearing.
Whirlybird, ``Black Eye'' (RobSum Records). Start with an intriguing notion: blending indie rock with Southern r & b. When you add singer, guitarist and band leader Rob Robinson's knack for spinning humorous stories in catchy songs, you have a small pop gem.
Charles Sawtelle, ``Music from Rancho de Ville'' (Acoustic Disc). A former guitarist for Hot Rize and known in certain circles as ``The Bluegrass Mystery,'' Sawtelle died at 52, two years before the release of this first solo CD. It's a low-key acoustic delight featuring top-flight pals including Michael Doucet, Vassar Clements, Norman Blake, David Grisman and the set's loving producer, Laurie Lewis.
Otis Taylor, ``White African'' (NorthernBlues Music). There's quiet power in Taylor's spare blues analyses of injustice. But what makes this a standout is Taylor's blues banjo, which is part of a subtle but crucial shift in instrumentation from track to track.
Susheela Raman, ``Salt Rain'' (Narada World). London-born South Indian vocalist Raman concocts a gorgeous world beat brew. But pop is what holds the Asian, Middle Eastern, jazz and whatnot elements together, making this CD as accessible as it is exotic. Pop flavor is also what made this a Mercury Prize nominee - a big deal in Britain - for Best Album of the Year.
Zero 7, ``Simple Things'' (Quango/Palm). Zero 7 isn't an unknown in Britain, where it, too, received a Mercury Prize nomination for Best Album. ``Simple Things'' is easy-listening music for cool cats, a lightweight but beguiling mix of trip-hop-soul vocals and international lounge sounds.
Scott Morgan, ``Medium Rare 1970-2000'' (Real O Mind). Morgan is reputedly a legend in Detroit, which means this retrospective sold a few copies in the Midwest, if nowhere else. Like Springsteen in the early days, Morgan is a white guy with a fondness for rock and classic soul. But Morgan takes a left turn toward the raw and untamed when he teams with some better-known Motor City legends from the Stooges and the MC5.
Phil Cody, ``Big Slow Mover'' (Tiny Head). You can gauge Cody's quality, if not his sound, by the company he keeps. He's aided by Emmylou Harris, Joe Henry and co-producer Rami Jaffe of the Wallflowers. Cody hails from California, but his sharp-edge country-folk rock songs mark him as kin to Steve Earle and Warren Zevon.
The Creole Connection, ``The Masked Band'' (Louisiana Red Hot). Keith Frank dreamed up this side project as a traditional alternative to the modern zydeco he plays under his own name. But with songs like ``She Is Shaking Her Big Butt'' and a cover of ``Games People Play,'' ``The Masked Band'' is no archival trip. But a fun trip, for sure.
Toploader, ``Onka's Big Moka'' (Epic). Blue-eyed British soul that beats Jamiroquai and anything Simply Red's done in years. And the cover of King Harvest's 1973 hit ``Dancing in the Moonlight'' is the very definition of a guilty pleasure.
Dallas Wayne, ``Big Thinkin' '' ((HMG). Calling all Robbie Fulks fans. Wayne is a big-voiced country singer (think John Anderson) who added just the right amount of juice and jive to his traditional predelictions by engaging wiseacre Fulks as co-producer and co-writer. Best song title: ``We Never Killed Each Other (But Didn't We Try?).''
Garageland, ``Do What You Want'' (Foodchain). It must be something in the kiwis. Carrying forth the New Zealand pop/rock legacy of Crowded House, the less-sweet Garageland offer a strong set of melodic but quirky songs powered by exhilarating guitars and lots of 'em.
Buck ``Tooth'' Johnson, ``Two Tooth Minimum'' (no label). Buck isn't a person, it's a New York roots rock band that recalls The Band with its funky, loose-limbed, rural sound. But the skillful electric and slide guitar work shows these Tooths are pros, not rubes.
Josh Roy Brown, ``Can't Look Back'' (Engine Group). Gruff-voiced Brown says he sounds as if ``Johnny Cash and Lou Reed had a child.'' Works for me.