Perhaps in keeping with a story I’m writing called ‘Nothing’, this show had no name and no theme – but it surely evolved. The show could now justify being called Evening Up the Score. The half hour zoomed by with just four thrillifying tracks from recent releases featuring women, often shamefully overlooked when it comes to ‘best of’ lists.
The Texan queen of cool, Jolie Holland, contributed two tracks from this year’s Pint of blood. And of frontliners on Californian stringbender Tommy Castro’s star-dusted collection from his legendary blues cruises, we cherrypicked guitar goddess Debbie Davies, who set the stage alight at last year’s Wangaratta Fest (we flash-reviewed this year's just gone) and, not quite so familiar, Sista Monica Parker with some supersize vocals.
Jolie Holland, Pint of blood (Anti):
‘Rex’s dream’ (Townes van Zandt)
‘The devil’s sake’ (Holland)
Nominated by stablemate Tom Waits for the Shortlist Music Prize, Holland came on our radar as cofounder of the Be Good Tanyas. Leaving after just one album, she’s forged a solid solo CV that includes a half-dozen albums, credits for lyrics and performance of ‘Flood of dreams’ in the film King of California and collaboration with Booker T Jones on the album What a wonderful world. Pint of blood resides in that space between dream and awakening, yet quoting Holland verbatim on her Facebook page: ‘Its so strange that the press has been playing this telephone game about the idea of "pint of blood" being "loose"--its the only record I've ever made where most of the tracks were to a click--a metronome. The least "loose" record I've ever made.’
Catch her talking about the making of the album here.
Tommy Castro presents the legendary blues & soul revue (Alligator):
‘Never say never’, Sista Monica Parker (vocals)
‘All I found’, Debbie Davies (vocals & guitar)
Award-acing guitarist/singer/songwriter Tommy Castro took the best of the best of the no-holds-barred jam sessions recorded on the road with his Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise outfit, which roams the waters of the Pacific and Caribbean annually. Other stars on the album include Rick Estrin, Janiva Magness, Joe Louis Walker and Theodis Ealey. If we’d had 10 minutes more, a sensational track featuring Michael ‘Iron Man’ Burks would have knocked our socks clear to Antarctica.
Listen to the show, starting half an hour in.
Next month’s show 21 December
