[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAIyPGsMjQU&w=700]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Pfjo66PTy4&w=700] Dr John's new album, Locked Down, is produced by (and features) Dan Auerbach, guitarist and singer of The Black Keys. You can really hear him in this song - though all the tracks are brilliant. It's rocking. A very complete album. Buy it. Listen to it all the way through. Repeat. You won't be disappointed.
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And in case you didn't know... Malcolm John "Mac" Rebennack, Jr. (born November 21, 1940), better known by the stage name Dr. John (also Dr. John Creaux), is an American singer-songwriter, pianist and guitarist, whose music combines blues, pop, jazz as well as zydeco, boogie woogie and rock and roll.
Active as a session musician since the late 1950s, he came to wider prominence in the early 1970s with a wildly theatrical stage show inspired by medicine shows, Mardi Gras costumes and voodoo ceremonies. Rebennack has recorded over 20 albums and in 1973 scored a top-20 hit with the jaunty funk-flavored "Right Place Wrong Time", still perhaps his best-known song.
Here he is with Etta James, one of my favourite performances:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFsrDlhHidE&w=700]
...on whom I have a bit of a crush. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2nI3s_h9Fw&w=700]
Continuing the slightly angsty live music theme...(really lovely stuff this) [youtube=http://youtu.be/A9Tp5fl18Ho&w=700]
4AD and Jagjaguwar have collaborated on a live session that captures a truly unique Bon Iver performance, featuring Justin Vernon and Sean Carey. On recent tours fans will have become accustomed to seeing Vernon flanked by an eleven-piece band, with the swell in numbers lending a grandiose element to even his most delicate songs. Sidestepping expectations, the idea Vernon presented for this session was to provide a wildly different experience.
Recorded in AIR Studio's Lyndurst Hall - a building that was originally a church and missionary school designed in 1880 by the great Victorian architect Alfred Waterhouse (designer of the Natural History Museum) - Vernon was joined only by Carey, with the pair positioning themselves opposite one another at two grand pianos. Although neither Justin nor Sean's first instrument is piano, they were able to remodel the songs in a way that showcases their complimentary vocals and, perhaps more strikingly, a seemingly effortless ability to experiment with form and structure.
As such, fans are treated to jaw-dropping interpretations of several songs from both the new album and the 'Blood Bank' EP, as well as a cover of Bonnie Raitt's "I Can't Make You Love Me". And interpretation is an apt word, as these songs are artfully abstracted from their original incarnations. Rather than layer the sound as on 'Bon Iver, Bon Iver', the focus is on paring back, in part evoking the minimalist approach of contemporary classical music, while remaining true enough to the source material to retain those elements characteristic of Bon Iver.
As on "Babys" and "Hinnom, TX", Vernon's trademark falsetto is positioned centre stage, framed by subtle and unexpected instrumental flourishes that render the performance simultaneously weighty and airless. It's quite an achievement that songs so widely-known and loved in their recorded form are able gain in emotional impact, and stands as testament to Bon Iver's singular talent.
1. Hinnom, TX 2. Wash. 3. I Can't Make You Love Me 4. Babys 5. Beth/Rest
Director: Iain Forsyth & Jane Pollard Recording & Mixing: Jake Jackson with Brian Joseph Recorded in London at AIR Studios, October 16, 2011
"Hinnom, TX", "Wash.", "Beth/Rest" (c) 2011 April Base Publishing (ASCAP) "Babys" (c) 2009 April Base Publishing (ASCAP) "I Cant' Make You Love Me" (c) 1991 BMG Songs, Almo Music Corp., Bird Blues Music, Hayes Street Music (ASCAP)