Blood Red Blues by Cee Cee James

Cee Cee James has been belting out the blues for over 20 years. Her constant touring and two CD releases (plus a live CD) have gained her a solid fan base among blues aficionados. She returns in 2012 with her latest and third studio album, Blood Red Blues, which may help her reach a wider audience.

James has gathered a stellar group of musicians to back her. The foremost is her husband, Rob “Slideboy” Andrews, who co-wrote the songs, and provided the rhythm and lead guitar work. His nickname is apt as he is one of the better practitioners of the slide guitar technique working today. Also on hand are bassist Dan Mohler and drummer Chris Leighton, in addition to keyboardist Susan Julian and guitarist Rocky Athas, who contribute to a number of tracks. Then there is legendary Grammy-winning blues producer and engineer Jim Gaines, who fills those positions on the release.

James’ voice is very similar in tone, inflection, and style to the late Janis Joplin. While she may be more of a traditional blue artist than Joplin, when one listens to the music contained on this album, the comparisons are very apparent. If you appreciate Joplin, you will like this album.

From the opening title track with James’ gritty vocals exploding above the slide guitar runs of Andrews, it is a journey through the blues. The lyrics are painful, inspirational, and powerful as she takes the listener on a journey through her life story. Songs of redemption, life on the road, struggles, sins, and pain are brought to life through her emotional vocals and energy.

She is one of those rare singers who seems to ring every ounce of sweat from her body and soul and communicates that fact to her audience.

Her personal style channels some of the early Delta female blues artists while her sound has modernized that approach. It is classic blues lyrics meeting present day electric blues accompaniment.

Blood Red Blues is a blues adventure work to pursue. If you like the electric blues at its most basic, then Cee Cee James is an artist for you.

Article first published as Music Review: Cee Cee James – Blood Red Blues on Blogcritics.

Slow Twistin’ 45 by Chubby Checker

“The Twist” made Chubby Checker a star during the 1960’s pre-Beatles era. It topped the BILLBOARD MAGAZINE Pop Singles Chart, not once but twice, during 1960 and 1961.

People today cannot conceive just how popular The Twist was during the early 1960s. Twist clubs that catered to adults sprang up all over the country.

Chubby Checker would issue a series of dance singles that, for better or worse, would define his career.

The twist bandwagon kept on rolling as “Let’s Twist Again” reached number eight and and “Twist It Up” peaked at number 25.

He released “Slow Twistin'” during early 1962 with Dee Dee Sharp helping out with the vocals. As the title suggests, it was a slow version of the popular dance. It became another big twist hit reaching number three.

Checker still performs his dance hits and would make a worthy inductee into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.

P.T. 109 45 by Jimmy Dean

Many people today remember Jimmy Dean for his pork sausages but during the late 1950s and 1960s he was a country star whose recordings consistently crossed over to the pop charts.

His biggest pop hit was during 1961 when his “Big Bad John” topped the BILLBOARD MAGAZINE Pop Singles Chart for five weeks. His only other top ten pop hit was “P.T. 109,” which told the story of the sinking of President Kennedy’s torpedo boat during World War II.

Released during ealy 1962, it peaked at number eight during its 11 weeks on the chart.

While his songs were successful, the sausages made him millions.

St. George And The Dragonet by Stan Freberg

Stan Freberg began performing impersonations on the radio during 1943 and quickly moved on to providing the voices for cartoons. During the early 1950s he began to issue comedy records, which received huge commercial success.

His biggest hit was “St. George And The Dragonet.” It was a comedic take of the television series DRAGNET combined with the myth of St. George and The Dragon. Jack Webb, the star of DRAGNET, liked the idea so much that he allowed Freberg to use the shows theme music.

It was a huge hit as it topped two of the three BILLBOARD MAGAZINE Pop Charts.

Best Sellers In Stores Chart – 10/10/53 – 4 weeks at #1.
Most Played By Disc Jockeys Chart – 10/24/53 – 1 week at #1.

The hits dried up during the early 1960s, so he formed an advertising agency with himself as creative director. He would go on to win 21 Clio Awards for advertising on television and radio. He remains active down to the present day.

Garage Sale by Jon Dee Graham

Jon Dee Graham is one of those artists who has produced consistently excellent music for decades but has usually slid under the commercial radar. He has released seven solo albums as well as having been a member of The Skunks and The True Believers. Graham has also been a three-time inductee into the Austin Music Awards Hall Of Fame (as a solo artist and member of these two bands).

During early 2012, he took part in the group project, At Least We Have Each Other by The Hobart Brothers and Lil’ Sis Hobart, which also featured Freedy Johnston and Susan Cowsill. He was supposed to be on hiatus but received a gift of some studio time from friends. That gift has resulted in the recording of his eighth studio album, Garage Sale which will be released July 17 on Freedom Records.

Garage Sale may have been pieced together over time but it represents his style and sound, which includes a gravelly Tom Waits-type vocal that may take some getting used to. But the center of the album remains his lyrical imagery and ability to tell a story. The music can rock at times and be mellow and gentle at others, but the pictures he paints with his words are some of the best in the business.

The album’s first track, “Unafraid,” is what Graham says is “the mission statement” for the release. Keyboards and loud drums provide the foundation as his smoky voice sings, “I’ve pulled the thorn from the paw of the lion/I’ve snatched the fang from the jaw of the snake.” With those words, he begins his musical journey of exploration which encompasses personal experiences and ruminations of the world around him.

“Just Like That” is a lament that time cannot stand still. “The perfect moments, they come and go/Like days and weeks and months they go/No matter how you hold on/You think you know.” It is a song that speaks to anyone who has started to get older and is reflecting upon the high points of life as mortality begins to close in.

Graham played most of the instruments on the album but the guitar remains his instrument of choice. He has progressed as a guitar player and his axe work is one of the highlights of the album.

Jon Dee Graham remains an undiscovered treasure outside of his native Texas. Garage Sale is a fine introduction to one of the Southwest’s best singer/songwriters.

I’ve Got You Under My Skin 45 by The Four Seasons

“I’ve Got You Under My Skin” was featured in the movie BORN TO DANCE starring James Stewart. It was a number three hit for Ray Noble in 1936. Since that time it has be covered by many vocalists.

The Four Seasons recorded the old war horse and released it as a single during the late summer of 1966. It was another hit for the group as it reached number nine on the BILLBOARD MAGAZINE Pop Singles Chart.

Their version was unique from the majority of covers that have been issued down through the years. Franki Valli’s falsetto vocal floated above the harmonies.

While it is not a song that comes immediately to mind when thinking about The Four Seasons, it remains a good listen over 45 years later.

Single Girl 45 by Sandy Posey

Sandy Posey is one of those singers who almost made it. She placed five singles on the BILLBOARD MAGAZINE Pop Singles Chart, 1966-1967, three of which all peaked at number 12. While she would continue to tour and record, she would never have another chart single.

Her signature song, “Single Girl,” first reached the BILLBOARD MAGAZINE Pop Singles Chart November 19, 1966 and peaked at number 12 of course.

It was a ballad that had a driving rhythm section and early feminist overtures. While it was very 1960s, ir remains a good listen today.

This Guy’s In Love With You 45 by Herb Alpert

During the 1960s, Herb Alpert and The Tijuana Brass sold tens-of-millions of albums and placed two dozen singles on the BILLBOARD MAGAZINE Pop Singles Chart. So what does one of the most popular artists in the world do for an encore?

Herb Alpert decided to release a solo single, on which he would sing. He had a fairly weak voice but was alble to get buy.

He released “This Guy’s In Love With You” during the early spring of 1968. It was a pop/easy listening song with a basic melody. It ended up as one of the biggest selling singles of the year and topped the BILLBOARD Pop Chart for four weeks.

Alpert would only release a few other vocal songs but would continue to record with the Tijuana Brass.

The Stripper 45 by David Rose

David Rose was well-known within the music industry but today remains one of the more obscure artists to ever have a number one single in the United States. He was an arranger, songwriter, pianist, and orchestra leader. He was the musical director for The Red Skelton Show for 21 years and would win two of his four Emmy Awards for his work with The Little House On The Prairie television series.

His climb to number one began during 1958 when he was scoring a TV show named Burlesque. At the end of the production process he wrote eight bars of background music for a stripper scene. A short time later he was in the studio recording an album of string music, for which he was known. He needed a brass section for one track and with some leftover time had the orchestra and brass improvise on his old eight bars of music from Burlesque. And there ended the journey of “The Stripper” for several years.

Nearly four years later he recorded a single of “Ebb Tide” from the movie Sweet Bird Of Youth. A flip side was needed, so “The Stripper” was resurrected.

Los Angeles disc jockey Robert Q. Lewis turned the record over as a gag. He asked for music requests and whenever a listener called in to request a song, he would play “The Stripper.” This went on for nearly an hour with the song being played over and over again. His gag helped start its journey toward the top of the Billboard Magazine Pop Singles Chart.

“The Stripper” is still recognizable today. Just think of someone slowly taking off their clothes to music and most people will think of this tune. It is a brass laden instrumental with crashing cymbals over a string foundation. It would become a highlight of Rose’s concerts for the rest of his life.

Sometimes music defines an era. If that is the case here, I missed a lot as a 12 year old. “The Stripper” may have only spent one week at number one but 50 years ago this week, it ruled the music world, and who knows what else.

I Can’t Stop Loving You 45 by Ray Charles

It is unknown what early country star Don Gibson was thinking when he wrote “I Can’t Stop Loving You” during late 1957. He did not consider it strong enough to be a lead single and so it became the b-side of “Oh Lonesome Me.” While the a-side reached number one on the Billboard Magazine Country chart, “I Can’t Stop Loving You” became a Top Ten hit in its own right.

Enter Ray Charles, who by 1962 was an established star in the United States. He was gathering songs for what would become his signature album and one of the seminal releases in American music history. Modern Sounds In Country and Western Music fused country and rhythm & blues music into a unique mix that was a huge commercial success with the mainstream pop audience.

The lead single from the album was “I Can’t Stop Loving You” and it would become the biggest hit single of Ray Charles’ long career. A half-century ago this month it topped the Billboard Pop Singles chart and there it remained for five weeks.

The phrasing on the opening verse is one of the most memorable of the era. The piano, the lush string arrangements, and the soulful vocal floating over the top transformed the old traditional country song into a modern masterpiece. Rarely has a song sounded so passionate while still having the ballad retain the gentle nature of the lyrics.

It is easy to forget the impact of the song, as Ray Charles created new rules for what would become popular music. He was a black man who sang a country song and made it palatable for white audiences. His adventurous nature would set the tone for the generations of musicians that followed.

When Ray Charles passed away during 2004 at the age of 73, he left behind one of the superior catalogues of music in American history. His list of memorable performances is almost endless but “I Can’t Stop Loving You” ranks with the best and it ruled the music world at this period of time 50 years ago.