Ramblings on Music, Texas, Etc.

Susan Tedeschi on NPR

You can hear an interview with Susan Tedeschi over at All Songs Considered on NPR.  You can also rush out and buy her fantastic new record Back To The River, one of the most criminally neglected releases of the 2008.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Best of 2008 (pre-list hype!)

It occurred to me last week that this will be my fifth officially-blogged "Best Of" list.  So why not run down the previous four years' worth of listmaking?  Some of these picks I still stand behind -- some others not so much...

Best of 2007:

1. Joe Henry – Civilians
2. Patty Griffin – Children Running Through
3. Wilco - Sky Blue Sky
4. Robert Plant & Alison Krauss - Raising Sand
5. Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga
6. Mary Gauthier - Between Daylight and Dark
7. Grace Potter & The Nocturnals - This Is Somwhere
8. Bettye LaVette - The Scene of the Crime
9. Lucinda Williams - West
10. Over The Rhine - The Trumpet Child

Best of 2006:

1. Solomon Burke – Nashville
2. Drive-By Truckers – A Blessing and A Curse
3. The Drams – Jubilee Dive
4. Mindy Smith – Long Island Shores
5. Joanna Newsom – Ys
6. Neko Case – Fox Confessor Brings The Flood
7. Richard Buckner – Meadow
8. Madeleine Peyroux – Half The Perfect World
9. Ray LaMontange – Til The Sun Turns Black
10. Allison Moorer – Getting Somewhere

Best of 2005:

1. The New Pornographers – Twin Cinema
2. Ryan Adams & The Cardinals – Jacksonville City Nights
3. Aimee Mann – The Forgotten Arm
4. Over The Rhine – Drunkard’s Prayer
5. Bright Eyes – I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning
6. Various Artists – I Believe To My Soul
7. Ryan Adams & The Cardinals – Cold Roses
8. Spoon – Gimme Fiction
9. Josh Rouse – Nashville
10. Sigur Ros – Takk…

Best of 2004:

1. Allison Moorer – The Duel
2. Sam Phillips – A Boot and A Shoe
3. Tift Merritt – Tambourine
4. Patty Griffin – Impossible Dream
5. Drive-By Truckers – The Dirty South
6. Neko Case – The Tigers Have Spoken
7. Kasey Chambers – Wayward Angel
8. Wilco – A Ghost Is Born
9. Rufus Wainwright – Want Two
10. Kings Of Leon – Aha Shake Heartbreak
11. Buddy Miller – Universal United House Of Prayer
12. Loretta Lynn – Van Lear Rose

So let the merry listmaking begin!

UPDATE:  Per John C.'s suggestion, here's an overall Top 10, 2004 through 2007:

1. Sam Phillips – A Boot and A Shoe
2. Joe Henry – Civilians
3. Patty Griffin – Children Running Through
4. Tift Merritt – Tambourine
5. Allison Moorer – The Duel
6. Buddy Miller – Universal United House Of Prayer
7. Patty Griffin – Impossible Dream
8. Solomon Burke – Nashville
9. Spoon – Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
10. Robert Plant & Alison Krauss – Raising Sand

I think what emerges from that list is that 2004 and 2007 were very strong years, in my book.  I'll go ahead and say that 2008 was not quite as strong as last year, but I feel pretty strongly about my Top 5.

Guns N’ Roses – ‘Chinese Democracy’ (review)

At a time when celebrities exploit every avenue to pimp their new product – album, movie, perfume… whatever – it's almost refreshing to see a record receive so much attention simply on the basis of the music. Oh sure, there's the 17 years of pent-up demand (or not) for a new Guns N' Roses album, but for all of the slathered ink to be spilled over Chinese Democracy, there's nothing more to do than simply listen to the damned thing. For better and for worse, the music has to speak for itself because Axl Rose shows little sign of wanting to put himself through the pop culture meat grinder. In that way, Rose is the last of a rare breed, and Chinese Democracy may be one of the last "event albums" for an industry in steady decline amidst a highly segmented listener community.

And speaking as a GN'R fan from the old days, I may be dramatically overestimating its impact. But I imagine many active music critics fall roughly into my age demographic, which means that Guns N' Roses is encoded into our collective DNA whether we like it or not. But this is not, of course, my (or your father's) GN'R – it is a rotating cast of musicians employed for the sole purpose of realizing Axl Rose's singular vision, such as it is. Chinese Democracy sounds very much like an album that was labored over for well over a decade. The fleeting moments of musical spontaneity usually come courtesy of Rose's very un-Slash-like guitarists, who manage to squeeze out some memorable lines even if Rose's thumbprint is still evident throughout. One inarguable fact emerges from Chinese Democracy: Axl Rose was always the odd man out in a band that was a essentially a blues metal outfit. Once his childhood friend Izzy Stradlin hit the road, it was pretty obvious, even on Use Your Illusion I & II, that Axl's outsize musical ambitions were competing for space in the band. The most interesting moments on Use Your Illusion do, in fact, portend much of what follows on Chinese Democracy. However, without Izzy and especially Slash, GN'R is a dramatically different vehicle, only tethered to the past by Rose's recognizable wail, not to mention his tortured narcissism.

Perhaps the highest compliment to be paid to Chinese Democracy is that it is rarely boring, even if it is often exhausting. Befitting an album that's been worked over for way too many years, it is dense and tangled, with very little room to breathe. Of course, subtlety was never Rose's long suit anyway, and that approach serves him well more often than not. Memorable pop songs like "Better" get buried under layers of production, but it feels meticulous rather than simply cluttered. "Streets of Dreams" is almost embarrassingly overwrought, but there's no denying its rock-opera majesty. The ballads, for the most part, avail themselves particularly well (a good gauge for how much you'll like Chinese Democracy is to what degree you like "November Rain" and "Estranged" from Use Your Illuision). Here and there, the album feels like a pale specter of GN'R's former greatness, but it mostly sounds distinctive enough to avoid the comparisons altogether (though "Madagascar" features the bizarro return of the Cool Hand Luke dialogue sample).

Whether Chinese Democracy is remembered a decade from now probably depends on whether this is Axl Rose's swan song. There's enough here to suggest that he is capable of another masterpiece, but it's a far cry to suggest this record is it. But Democracy is substantially more than a hollow pop exercise or a cynical comeback attempt. No matter how maddening he often is, Rose should be given credit for following his peculiar muse off the cliff. Though Chinese Democracy is far from a disaster – Rose's talent precludes that outcome – it may ultimately be more fun to write about than actually listen to. Still, how many albums merit that description?

(For further evidence of that last observation, see Ann Powers' review in the LA Times.)

Do you believe in Democracy?

Of the Chinese variety?  Unless you live under a rock, you probably know that you can pick up Guns N Roses' long delayed album Chinese Democracy this Sunday at Best Buy (and iTunes).  Informal poll: are you gonna pick up a copy?

UPDATE: Streaming (or is it steaming?) over at MySpace right now.

UPDATE II:  Yeah, I bought it, despite my snap-judgment misgivings.  More later.  In other news, it's time to ramp up the Best of 2008 lists -- look for those very soon!

Josh Hurst reviews Susan Tedeschi

Finally, another rave review for Susan Tedeschi's Back To The River, courtesy of our friend Josh Hurst.

Joe Carter defines (redefines) heresy

Well, Culture 11's Joe Carter has stepped in it at least twice this past week.  First, in a twisted defense of his "beloved" Alison Krauss he stated the following about Emmylou Harris:

"The ridiculously overrated Harris may be a critics’ darling but we rural folk use her name as a shibbolith: If you claim to be a fan of country/bluegrass/Americana and use as your example Emmylou, we know you’re a poseur."

Alas, his subsequent comments indicate that he was being intentionally over-the-top, but it set of a minor feud between the Krauss and Harris factions, which are basically the same set of music fans anyway.

Generating a good deal more controversy in the blogosphere are his two posts regarding an interview Barack Obama did a few years ago about his Christian faith, and Joe's conclusion that Obama's comments undermine his authenticity as a Christian (posts here and here).  Without delving into Obama's comments directly, I'd really rather discuss the tentpoles that Carter uses to prop up his arguments.  In doing so, I'm really just discussing some areas of religious interest to me personally, and it's not my intent to rip on Joe Carter any more than has already been done.  Nor am I suggesting that I personally agree with Obama's perspective on Christ and Christianity.

I posted the following comment to Carter's second post:

"For what it’s worth, Southern Baptists don’t recite or acknowledge the Nicene Creed. I never even heard it until I attended my wife’s Episcopal church. I’m probably more “unorthodox” than most Southern Baptists these days, but hopefully that doesn’t place the state of my eternal soul in too much jeopardy.
I’m nitpicking obviously, but getting into the whole orthodox vs. unorthodox debate in the Protestant world is slogging straight into a swamp. Mormons — orthodox or unorthodox? Just curious where you fall on that one, Joe."

Joe's posts, in my opinion, lean too heavily on the notion that Christians as an inclusive community of faiths adhere to a certain set of "settled" beliefs, exemplified in the Nicene Creed and/or the Apostles' Creed (also please note my eagerness to slog back into this swamp).  I was raised Southern Baptist but actually spent my early years in a Baptist church in West Virginia, not affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention.  It should give you Southern Baptists out there some perspective to learn that our paster at my childhood church was divorced, a fact that would alone preclude even the slightest consideration for pastoral employment at an SBC church -- then or now.  I have no desire to detail my issues with the SBC, but the differences even among strains of Baptists have always been quite interesting to me.

The Baptist tradition in America is a fascinating evolution, rooted very much in the Northeastern US.  The Church only acquired its reputation as arch-conservative in the mid-to-late 20th Century, but whatever predominant associations emerged, some basic tenets have endured.  There is no central authority governing the Baptist church.  Even within the highly organized SBC, there is still a great deal of autonomy and independence between and among churches.  Thus, there is no acceptance of the Nicene Creed, for instance, which was handed down from Rome in the early history of the Christian church, primarily to prevent "misinterpretation" of the Gospel (specifically a reading of polytheism relating to the Holy Trinity).  So while on its surface, the Nicene Creed seems somewhat inoffensive (if a bit vague) to a mainstream Baptist, the acceptance of any creed handed down by man is in direct contradiction to the "priesthood of the believer," which holds that each believer is responsible for interpreting the Bible and forging his or her relationship with God.

Any decent Sunday school teacher would quickly point out that this doesn't mean you may pick and choose what parts of the Bible you accept (sorry, Thomas Jefferson).  But the gist of the Baptist faith - at least in all of my life's experiences - is that the Church is not the key to heaven.  Your relationship to Christ and the salvation of your soul is between you and God, and the Bible in the inerrant Word of God (I might add I don't believe in Biblical inerrancy in the sense that every word is literal truth, but let's not drift off topic..).

So where Joe gets all tangled up is his notion of "orthodox" versus "unorthodox" Christian beliefs.  No doubt, what I've described above would be unorthodox to a devout Catholic.  In fact, it would be considered heretical.  There are obviously churches that have capital-O Orthodox beliefs, and their followers should be easy to spot since the definition has been clearly defined.  But as you sift through the flavors of Christianity, particularly Protestants, you're likely to find a tangled web of contradictory beliefs and rituals that appear very odd to the outsider.  For instance, infant baptism is never performed in a Baptist church, whereas you're likely to see a grown man dunked on any given Sunday.  I think we can agree that this practice is highly un-Catholic (and most Catholics, not to mention other denominations, would fret for the soul of the Baptist infant).

My admittedly long winded point is this: when you set out define an "orthodox" Christian in relation to the predominant Christian churches in America, you simply cannot win.  Joe Carter uses the Nicene Creed as a marker and manages to ignore one of the nation's largest religions (he claims to be a "Reformed" Southern Baptist, though I have no idea what that means), not to mention quite a few others.  He took my bait and, to his credit, noted that he does not acknowledge Mormons as orthodox Christians.  But even today, we see alliances and cooperation between Catholics and Mormons in the public square (see California's Prop. 8), even though theologically they couldn't be more different.

And I don't mean any disrespect to Catholics, Mormons or any other religious faith.  When I was growing up, Mormons were unequivocally considered a cult by my fellow Southern Baptists.  I imagine that is still the case, but where there is common cause - particularly among religious conservatives - there seems to be an increasing acceptance.  I'm no longer a regular churchgoer, but somehow I still find myself identifying as a Baptist.  My religious practices most certainly are "unorthodox" to the Joe Carters of the world, but they might also be surprised how my life continues to be informed and enriched by faith.

Hopefully, I didn't offend anyone with this post.  I think we can all agree that this blog is not the place for spiritual Truth.  But my album reviews are the gospel!

UPDATE: I suppose I should add, at the risk of turning this post political, that I think Joe Carter's logic exposes a blind spot that plagues many politically-minded evangelicals.  The failure to understand or acknowledge fundamental, even critical, theological differences between even mainstream Christian denominations causes many folks in the ecumenical community simply ignore their mutual differences, in the interest of common ground and common goals.  I think that's basically a good thing, but why is it okay to ignore those differences but single out Obama's beliefs as being "unorthodox"?  I realize that's a rhetorical question.

Archive.org bootlegs

Good friend of the Ramblings, John C., sent me a copy of the Grace Potter & The Nocturnals show at Walter's on 10/30 (which both of us attended).  The show was taped by a nice guy who also taped the Ryan Adams show at Verizon two weeks prior.  You can find the Grace Potter show here and the Cardinals show here.

I also found a really awesome show of Derek Trucks & Susan Tedeschi's Soul Stew Revival earlier this year.  There's all kinds of great shit out there at Archive.org.

Oh, and since I failed to properly review the GPTN show at Walter's... Though it was only about half full, Grace and the boys absolutely burned the joint down.  Really awesome show - they are just one of the best live acts around.  She hasn't toured in Texas nearly enough (evidenced by the turnout), but hopefully the band will make it back down in the future.  It won't take too many shows to convince Texans.

Susan Tedeschi coming to Houston

It would appear that Susan Tedeschi will be playing House Of Blues in Houston on Friday, February 6.  No official confirmation or ticket information, but the show should be on sale soon (the Feb. 4 show in New Orleans is on sale already).  More later.

Also shows in Dallas on Feb. 5 and Austin on Feb. 7.

UPDATE:  Those dates are confirmed on Pollstar.

UPDATE II:  Tix on pre-sale Wednesday; general onsale Friday.

Ryan Adams on Charlie Rose

Haven't watched it yet, but it's a pretty lengthy chat (Ryan's segment starts at about the 33:08 mark and runs for about 20 minutes)...

Guitar geek: "Honky Tonk Women"

In my Gibson email this week, Arlen Roth gives a quick little video lesson on the riff for "Honky Tonk Women".  I've got a transcription of the song laying around somewhere so it looks like I've got a little project this weekend!  BTW, Open G is pretty easy to tune, particularly if you've got a tuner with open settings.