Introducing Joe Crookston

Even though folk music is alive and well it's so far out of the mainstream these days that it's nearly invisible to those not actively searching for it. That's sad, because a lyrical talent such as Joe Crookston needs to be heard.

The singer-songwriter has recorded four CDs (one is out of print) and he tours extensively. However, despite his hard work he is quite typical of most coffeehouse performers in that he has only acquired a small fan base.

Crookston has a very pleasing vocal style that easily allows the listener to dig deeply into a song and his sparsely but cleanly produced records are a perfect setting for his vocals.

You do not need to strain to hear the lyrics from the Ithaca, NY native but you must concentrate to comprehend them. He writes about his family and the world around him. His work is much closer to traditional folk music than most of the fare offered up by today's more modern singer-songwriters.

Listen to the thoughtful imagery below on "Fall Down As The Rain". It was written in Washington State's Okanogan Forest. Crookston explained the piece in an email. "Hiking in the wilderness deeply connected me to the cycles of life and death and rebirth." He added, "Then on a more metaphorical level I know we are all one and all connected and this song explores the interconnectedness of all nature." Could it be about reincarnation?

"Good Luck John" discusses how we all have both good and bad luck and how each one can be interpreted as the opposite.

"The Nazarene" is about the writer's family, their ordinary and ultimately troubled lives.

"Georgia I'm Here" references Georgia O'Keefe.

The artist generously covers the work of others. All of us need a little assistance and sympathy from time to time Crookston tells us on his version of Mary Gauthier's "Mercy Now." The sampler also includes Peter Himmelman's "Impermanent Things" and a live take of "Texas Blues" by fellow folkie Bill Morrissey.

In addition to being a solo singer and songwriter Crookston describes himself as a "guitarist, painter, fiddler, banjo player, eco-village member and believer in all things possible."

The second video below (not from the sampler) is the result of a project the composer completed recently as Artist in Residence at the Folk Alliance International Conference in February, 2016. He worked with the National World War I Museum to create an original song and painting.

His vibrant paintings can be seen on his website.

Forgotten Music: Shelby Lynne - I Am Shelby Lynne (2000)

Shelby Lynne's fifth album was her first to break away from the Nashville establishment. Anyone who listens to I Am Shelby Lynne, would quickly realize this is the album on which she became the woman who was determined to control her art, her career, and her destiny. This is the set that initially earned Lynne the respect she enjoys today and the reason for this is simple. The disc is just as much of a blue-eyed soul album spiced with a dash of real blues as it is a country record. It's Dusty Springfield sprinkled with a heaping dose of Bonnie Raitt.

Lynne's vocals make all of these self-penned tunes special. Her voice suits this material perfectly. She can coo like a kitten on "Black Light Blue" or wail like a blues queen on "Life Is Bad." The latter comes complete with slide guitar and a vocal style that indicates she may have considered Raitt a mentor. "Your Lies," which opens the album, sounds just like a 1960s hit by the late Springfield.

"Gotta Get Back," "Thought It Would Be Easier," and "Leavin," are all enjoyable low key R&B songs and the Springfield influence is obvious on all of them. The closest Lynne gets to her country roots is on "Where I'm From," a tribute to her home state of Alabama.

You can definitely hear the seeds of Lynne's Springfield tribute album, Just A Little Lovin' all over this marvelous set.

If you like your female vocalists to offer true emotion without sounding like one of the many melodramatic divas who oversing for a living I Am Shelby Lynne is for you.

Glenn Frey (1948 - 2016)

I don't care what "The Dude" said. This one really hurts.

Glenn Frey is gone at age 67, another great musician done too soon. He wasn't old, not by today's standards anyway, but he had a host of medical problems. He suffered from acute ulcerative colitis, pneumonia, and rheumatoid arthritis and the ensuing complications from all of them unfortunately took his life.

I was a big fan of the Eagles and by default, Frey. Not only did I love the early country-rock version of the quartet more than the Joe Walsh era quintet I thought the Eagles' founder was an absolutely wonderful singer. He was the smoothest of the smooth, almost a crooner. In the hall-of-famers' early days he was the man. He took the lead vocals on "Take It Easy," "Tequila Sunrise," "Peaceful Easy Feeling," "James Dean," "Lyin' Eyes," "New Kid In Town," and many more.

After the Eagles Frey forged a solo musical career that wasn't nearly as successful or critically acclaimed as Don Henley's, but I don't care because I continue to believe he was the perfect balladeer who could also compose.

In addition to the the originals listed above Frey also wrote a very funny verse for the Eagles' first hit by finishing an early Jackson Browne tune:

"Well, I'm a standin' on a corner in Winslow, Arizona
Such a fine sight to see
It's a girl my Lord in a flat-bed Ford
Slowin' down to take a look at me."

After his very famous group broke up Frey turned to acting. He guest starred on Miami Vice and took a supporting role in Jerry Maguire.

I laugh at the people who hate the Eagles. I sometimes thought the disdain just became a trendy stand to take among snobs who wanted to show how cool they were by jumping on the hatred bandwagon. You know how some people are. They won't allow themselves to listen to anything that is popular. I'm sure Frey and Henley didn't care because their greatest hits album moved enough units to go platinum twenty-nine times over. Somebody must have loved them.

One of Frey's finest solo works was included in one of my all time favorite films. "Part of Me, Part of You," from Thelma and Louise ranks with his very best Eagles' stuff. You can play it below. It is followed by the Eagles' performance at their Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame induction that included everyone who was ever in the band.

All I can say is thank you for the music Glenn.

Goodbye David Bowie

A lot has been written about David Bowie this past week in newspapers, websites and blogs (He is even on the cover of the latest issue of Time) but you haven't seen anything posted here until now and that’s because I was never really a big fan.

I didn't hate Bowie, I learned to appreciate him more as time went by, but for a long time I just didn't "get" him. Initially, I was put off by his Ziggy Stardust persona and the glitter rock movement in general although I thought T Rex and Mott the Hoople were good bands.

Bowie became a star when I was coming of age and my freshman college roommate instantly became a huge fan of both the Thin White Duke and Alice Cooper at pretty much the same time. We were both big music fans but our tastes didn’t cross paths all that often. I was listening to Yes, most of the Southern California folk-rockers, The Beatles, Beach Boys, and Chicago. Despite our differences we took turns raiding each other's record collection when the mood hit us.

The reason I'm mentioning the androgynous Englishman now is simple. He was always there during a time in my life when all I thought about was music. His passing made me feel old and, as the end of life comes to an ever increasing number of musicians who rose to prominence during the classic rock era, it also makes me feel sad. In the last few months alone we've lost Chris Squire, Natalie Cole, Cory Wells, Allen Toussaint, and now Bowie. (I'm sure I've missed a few big ones worthy of mention.)

The deaths of these famous musicians make me realize how much each generation is culturally alienated from the one that came before it. Most young people don't know many of these artists so I'm not sure how long their legacies will live on. It's a shame most art dies with the generation who created it and the people who grew up with it. Such is the legacy of pop-art, especially music.

WRFY, a radio station in Reading, PA who for years labeled themselves as "Rock Hits Y-102" has dropped the 60s and 70s from their playlist and today advertises themselves as "Y-102, the 80s and beyond."

So, "let's dance" to some Bowie now and, remember, if you are a fan of his music be sure to pass it along to the next generation.

Raul Malo Live At New Hope Winery, New Hope, PA, December 20, 2015

In an almost two hour show at New Hope Winery Raul Malo proved he is a superb singer and that statement should not come as a surprise. As always, The Mavericks' leader and frontman sounded like a graduate of the Roy Orbison school of vocals and all he needed as accompaniment was the solo acoustic guitar he played quite well all evening long.

Malo showed off his stuff with a nice mix of his band's songs and well known cover versions.

Malo played four songs from his band's most recent album, Mono, including its dynamite opener, "All Night Long." In this setting the song is not the barn burner it is on the Mav's album because there is only so much you can do with one acoustic guitar. The same can be said of "Summertime (When I'm With You)" another upbeat tune with a ska arrangement that is superior when played by the full band on the original album.

Non-originals included a salute to a man Malo was born to cover, Frank Sinatra. He sang a really nice rendition of "Strangers In The Night" that proved he could have been a superb interpreter of the Great American Songbook if he had chosen to go in that direction.

Other highlights included two songs from the star's solo Christmas album, "It's a Marshmallow World" and "Feliz Navidad."

Malo is also a good storyteller who relates to the audience very well. He told us about the time Willie Nelson, who was the evening's honoree at the annual Gershwin Award ceremonies held at The Library of Congress, offered him a joint. Malo said, "When Willie Nelson offers you a joint, you smoke it" despite the fact the library was crawling with people who walked the halls of our nation's Capitol everyday.

Overall, a Mavericks concert would have been a more pleasurable experience. However, Malo is always a joy to hear and his voice couldn't have found a better showcase. The absence of a band meant his singing was the focal point of the concert so his full-bodied, multi-octave range is even more apparent than it is on The Mavericks' busy records. If you had any doubts about the power of his vocals this concert should have erased them immediately.