You can pretty much take your pick of Big Fall Releases tomorrow - though, admittedly, most of them will fly under the radars of the general listening public.
For my part, I expect three of tomorrow's releases to land on my Top 10 list this year (and thanks to NPR, I've heard all of them):
- Robert Plant - Band Of Joy: Let's see, what's the best way to land in my Top 10? Hire Buddy Miller to produce and play guitar? Nab Patty Griffin as your backup singer? Take the whole enterprise out on the road and blow my feeble mind? How 'bout all of the above? I'll admit this record doesn't always rise to the insanely high expectations I had after seeing the band in July, but it's still a fantastic record. Some will call it a lesser sequel to Raising Sand, but it stands pretty well on its own merits. However, any failure to capture this band live on disc - complete with the radically reworked Zeppelin tunes - will be chalked up to a missed opportunity.
- Mavis Staples - You Are Not Alone: I'll admit that I would've love to hear Joe Henry produce this one. Wilco's Jeff Tweedy fills those shoes, with no real track record to indicate what he'd do. It is to his great credit that he filled the studio with Mavis' white-hot road band. The song selections are generally pretty fantastic. Some will complain that, at times, this record does not capture Staples at her soul-shoutin' best. But it does capture her still at the height of her powers unafraid to sometimes put that shoutin' aside in favor on contemplative interpretations. Nuanced and beautiful, this one is a keeper.
- Justin Townes Earle - Harlem River Blues: There hasn't been much dissent in critical circles that this album represents the fulfillment of the promise Earle showed on his previous two records. Diverse, focused and showing even greater depth than his terrific Midnight At The Movies, JT Earle is obviously poised for great things. And oh yeah - that has to be one of the best album covers of the year. (UPDATE: GET HARLEM RIVER BLUES FOR $2.99 FROM AMAZON'S DIGITAL STORE -- TODAY ONLY!)
Hopefully, there will be plenty more to say about these records over the coming weeks as they dig a groove in my brain through repeated listenings.
And hey, what about this album due next week?
