The Blues Collection - Louisiana Red

This week's Blues Collection offering is for our new friend Christian who hails from Louisiana and it is none other than Louisiana Red himself.
Disappointingly Mr and Mrs Red did not have a wee boy called Louisiana  on 23rd March 1932. No rather Mr and  Mrs Minter had a wee boy Iverton and in Bessemer, Alabama too as opposed to Louisiana.
He recorded over 50 albums and like many of his contemporiares ended up living in Europe dying in Hanover, Germany in 2012 at the ripe old age of 79.
At first given his moniker I had him down as a pre-war Bluesman but his career was from the sixties up to his death.
He wrote most of his material and often delivered it in the style of the greats such as Muddy Waters, Elmore James, John Lee Hooker or Lightnin' Hopkins earning a reputation as a "blues chameleon"
These two songs were recorded in London probably in late 1990 and they are about women who spurned him,cheated on him or otherwise did him wrong.
Such is the lot of a Bluesman.

Louisiana Red - Vvienne

Louisiana Red - Valerie

I'm Just A Happy Kid

I once made Mrs CC a compilation of songs with the word happy in the title.
Not as easy as you might think when a large chunk of your record collection consists of country and soul songs which specialise in misery and heartbreak.
However, like the trooper I am I persevered.
One song which featured was Happy Kid taken from Nada Surf's 2002 album Let Go
Nada Surf are the trio of Matthew Caws (vocals and guitar), Doug Gillard (lead guitar) and Daniel Lorca (bass)They have been on the go since 1992 and are still going strong
The album also contains a French number Là Pour Ça which I thought a tad pretentious until I found out that Caws and Lorca met at the  Lycée Français de New York having both spent part of their childhood in France and Belgium.
Formidable!

Nada Surf - Happy Kid


Nada Surf - La Pour Ca

I Heard a Rumer

Sarah Joyce has a voice often compared to the late Karen Carpenter. To me there are also similarities with A Girl Called Eddy.
If the name Sarah Joyce does not mean anything to you , you may know her better as Rumer. Described somewhat cryptically by The Guardian as "the best act of her kind"
Born in Islamabad in 1979  she shot to fame with 2010's Seasons of My Soul. 
She followed this up in 2012 with a covers album  Boys Don't Cry both albums peaking at number 3 in the UK album charts.
She has also been championed by Burt Bacharach leading to a Christmas  EP imaginatively called Rumer Sings Bacharach at Christmas.
A Jools Holland and Radio 2 favourite.
I suspect that the takedown police may take an interest in her music so you will forgive me if I just state the titles.
The second song in particular is rather lovely.

Am I Forgiven?

Aretha

Every Picture Tells a Story

The picture in question is our Rodney performing at the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games which are currently underway in my home town.
It was a somewhat quirky ceremony and like the curate's egg it was good in parts.
Sadly you couldn't really say that Rod's performance was particularly good. Time to hang up those golden tonsils I feel.
What is good however is 1971's Every Picture Tells a Story. So good in fact that it features in George's Top 10 Albums of All Time series
At the time I confessed to not owning this record and was quite rightly roundly chastised by all and sundry including myself.
I have since remedied this glaring omission by purchasing a copy from Oxfam's music shop on Victoria Road.
As you may expect given the album is 43 years old the album is a bit crackly in places but the quality still shines through.

Rod Stewart -Every Picture Tells a Story

Rod Stewart - Tomorrow is a Long Time

Southern Soul Sunday 43

Some of the purists may not like this week's choice but hey ho it's my show!
The Soul Sessions, by the then 16 year old  English lass Joss Stone on Relentless Records in 2003, is surely worthy of inclusion and compares favourably with many of the artists she covers.
She was so young her mother went along as a chaperone during the recording of the record!
Produced by Betty Wright, Steve Greenberg and Michael Mangini it quickly went platinum in the UK and importantly introduced a whole new generation to the joy of 60s and 70s Soul.
Every one of the 10 tracks is a belter.
I have chosen Harlan Howard's The Chokin' Kind as I referred to it in last week's Joe Simon post and it was the reason I dusted this down from the shelves and gave it a spin.
Also it is only fitting that Dirty Man gets an airing given its association with Betty Wright.
After this record not unsurprisingly her management pushed her in a pop direction where she had some early success but she has drifted somewhat in more recent years.
I wasn't aware that Soul Sessions Volume 2 had been released in 2012 and must check it out
Apparently she is currently working on a hip hop and reggae album with Damian Marley

Joss Stone - The Chokin' Kind

Joss Stone -Dirty Man

53 Today

Not that Roger Taylor

Aimee Mann has a song on Smilers bemoaning the fact that she has turned 31 today. Well just wait until you hit 53 Aimee!

Amongst others I share my birthday with Sir Michael Jagger and Sir Roger Taylor the drummer from Queen.

Queen were the first band I ever saw live - at the Glasgow Apollo in 1975 supported by Mr Big.(So technically, I suppose, Mr Big were actually the first band I ever saw live!)

Only one Queen album graces the CC shelves (and is the only one ever likely to) and that is 1974's Sheer Heart Attack.From this here is  Tenement Funster written and sung by Roger himself (his Paul Simonon Guns of Brixton moment as it where).

Sir Michael is never done singing and here is a rather splendid country number Sweet Virginia from the rather splendid Exile on Main Street

Tenement Funster

Sweet Virginia

My Sister The Moon

I see the moon and the moon sees me
The moon sees the one I long to see
God bless the moon and God bless me
And God Bless the one I love

My Sister The Moon is a song on Irish born but Scottish based Heidi Talbot's 2013 album on Navigator Records Angels Without Wings.

On it she is joined by the author of the song Boo Hewerdine on guitar and the mighty Phil Cunningham on accordion.
Such luminaries as Donald Shaw, Mark Knopfler, Jerry Douglas, Tim O'Brien, Julie Fowlis, Karine Polwart, King Creosote and her hubby John McCusker also appear on the album
It is also available as the lead song on a 5 track EP which can be purchased on her website
You should make it your business to own at least one if not both of the records.
You should also take the opportunity to see her live if you ever get the chance



Heidi Talbot -My Sister The Moon