Albums
Black Pumas- Chronicles of a Diamond (ATO)
Black Pumas first emerged with their self-titled debut in 2019, and over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, slowly amassed an inescapable industry buzz, as well as a fan-base passionate for their rich blend of vintage soul and psychedelic R&B. The anticipatory pressure for a successful sophomore follow-up has only magnified in the four years since. However, the duo of vocalist Eric Burton and guitarist/producer Adrian Quezada show little sign of those pressures on the surface of Chronicles of a Diamond. The record finds the act remaining primarily loyal and confidently rooted to the sterling and rich sounds of its predecessor, which is certainly no disappointment. Performances like the hit single and opener, “More Than A Love Song” remain right in the pocket of the group’s sweet-spot, melding both classic and modern qualities of soul & R&B, all the while anchored by Burton’s expansive and expressive voice. These luminous moments are plentiful throughout the record, from the gorgeous “Mrs. Postman” to the chilling title track. “Angel” immediately ranks among a show-stopping moment, with its more stripped production providing one of the most staggering showcases of Burton’s special voice to date. The heights he’s able to reach as a vocalist is increasingly impressive, and is all the more evident thanks to the tasteful support that Quesada provides as both a musician and behind the dashboard, an equally notable and challenging accomplishment. Burton noticeably but gradually pushes himself vocally throughout the album, slyly playing with his range and intonation in small but enticing ways. There are very subtle moments of sonic experimentation sprinkled throughout the album as well, most prominently the funky bop nature of “Ice Cream (Pay Phone)”, the rockier edges of “Savignon”, and the starry-eyed dreamscapes of the synth-laden “Hello”. But whether the pair is residing in their more core sound, or gliding over into other lanes, it’s all done with a very evident sense of purpose and devotion to their overall craft. Listeners seeking something immediately addictive like “Colors” will likely need to wait multiple spins for such a moment, but what a gorgeous and atmospheric experience that journey will surely prove to be. Critics meanwhile will spend much futile time debating over the tropes of this sophomore album, and whether it stands as a place-holder or drastic evolution. It’s refreshing that Chronicles gracefully resides in the well-balanced median between the two spectrums, and instead focuses on just being an excellent body of music. It’s a goal that it radiantly succeeds at.
Blink-182- One More Time… (Columbia)
One More Time… stands as far more than just the ninth studio album from pop-punk heavyweights, Blink-182. Although the band never disbanded, it’s a reunion record in every sense of the word, with vocalist/guitarist Tom DeLonge performing with the band for the first time since 2015, and recording with them for the first since 2012. By reuniting the band’s best-known line-up on record for the first time in over a decade, the album immediately carries with it an added sense of jubilance and rebirth, a spirit certainly felt from the moment it opens with the raucous guitar notes of “Anthem Part 3”. Unsurprisingly, it makes for some of the band’s more outwardly nostalgic and reflective work, with the current smash ballad and title track serving as the obvious emotional centerpiece on the album, not to mention the group’s catalog as a whole. And while this assessment of the group’s past problems and ultimate reconciliation evoke central themes of perseverance, forgiveness, and mortality that serve as underlying themes throughout the record, the tone of “One More Time” is mostly a stylistically outlier. Like the bulk of Blink-182’s music, this record is punchy, fun, and celebratory, with an obvious emphasis on the latter. It’s spilling over with their classic sound, as well as the character, humor, innuendo, and romantic fumbling that they’ve always been great at. Perhaps most impressively, they continue to perform with a sort of timeless youthfulness and irrepressible charm that so many of the peers from their era have struggled to maintain. Bangers like “Dance With Me”, “Edging”, “Bad News”, the Box Car Racer outtake “Terrified”, and many more boast the signature frenetic deliveries and harmlessly loud spirit that remain difficult to resist. Here’s hoping this is truly the opening of a new chapter in the history of a band whose following remains rabidly loyal, and presence remains a prominent ingredient in today’s modern rock landscape.
Jessi Colter- Edge of Forever (Appalachia)
For a brief period in the 1970s, Jessi Colter established herself as one of the premier female vocalists in country music and its burgeoning Outlaw movement, with a deliciously soul-burnished sound that produced classics like “I’m Not Lisa” and “What’s Happened to Blue Eyes”. In the decades that have followed, she’s sadly become more of a footnote. This excellent comeback, her first proper studio album since 2006, deserves to reign as a reminder that she’s far more than just Waylon’s wife, Shooter’s mom, or the “girl-sanger” from the Wanted! album. Exquisitely produced by an obvious disciple in Margo Price, Edge finds Colter in remarkably fine form. At age 80, her lovely twang sounds as clear and soul-stained as it did in her prime, and Price smartly colors the arrangements throughout with a clean version of the sound that made her so unique five decades ago, merely dusted off and slightly polished for the year 2023. Her ever-prominent piano resides beautifully against country steel and strings as it did in her heyday, and they once again frame her elegant drawl with both grit and grace. Her duets with Price–“Lost Love Song” and “Maybe You Should”–are thrilling Outlaw-honky outings, while the stirring closer with her daughter, Jenni Eddy Jennings is a harmonic dream. But, Colter’s finest showings truly come when she is given the solo glory that too often evaded her throughout her career. “Can’t Nobody Do Me Like Jesus” is thrillingly swampy gospel, while “Hard On Easy Street” is an instant stone-country classic. “Angel in the Fire”, with its classic country storytelling and moving conversational nature, is the ultimate showpiece of the record however. Written for friend and fellow-legend, Kris Kristofferson, it’s a sterling portrait of Colter’s masterful skills as a bona fide country stylist. Reserve a spot for Edge of Forever on those pending year-end best lists. Jessi Colter’s return is a musical reward, with an ever-plentiful bounty.
Willie Nelson- Bluegrass (Legacy)
Celebrating his 90th birthday has done absolutely nothing to slow the untouchable prolificacy of Willie Nelson. The simply and aptly titled Bluegrass marks the Red Headed Stranger’s seventy-fourth (give-or-take?) studio album, and second LP in 2023 alone. The set gathers a variety of classics and deeper cuts from across his encyclopedic discography, while uniting them with some of the bluegrass world’s truly ace players, among them Rob Ickes and Union Station members Dan Tyminski, Ron Block, and Barry Bales. This talent pool expectedly delivers some of the best acoustic picking and playing to be heard on an album all year. The lovely and organic soundscapes breathe new life into both these well-known standards, as well as Nelson’s aging voice itself. His legendary, singular pipes are understandably not as full as they were even half a decade ago, but they sound as invigorated and engaging in this setting as they have across any of his best 21st century releases. Favorites like “On the Road Again”, “Bloody Mary Morning”, and “Good Hearted Woman” make for infectiously delightful mountain jams. Meanwhile, heart-wrenching ballads like “You Left Me A Long, Long Time Ago” and “Sad Songs and Waltzes” see the rawest corners of their bleeding hearts brought to the forefront, thanks to Nelson’s nakedly vulnerable rasp, and the loping, lonesome ache of the instruments surrounding it. And, the jaunty “Man With the Blues” ends things on a rustic, boisterous note, while evoking great memories of Doc & Merle Watson’s Pickin’ the Blues. From top to bottom, Bluegrass reigns mighty as one of Willie’s latter-day crowning achievements. We should be generously appreciative that he’s still here, and still making music like he is.
Margo Price- Strays II (Loma Vista)
When Margo Price emerged on the Americana scene in 2016, she was rightfully heralded as a gift from the honky-tonk heavens, with obvious Loretta and Tammy influences spilling over on her first two LPs. Since then, she’s steadily evolved toward a more rock-oriented roots sound where 70s Outlaw and California country-rock influences like Waylon, Willie, Jessi, and Emmylou gloriously meet up with the crackling 80s Heartland Rock of Tom Petty. And while there’s no reason to think she won’t eventually revisit the sound of “Hurtin’ on the Bottle” (which would be more than welcomed), I’ve spent the entire year of 2023 fully convinced by January’s Strays that this sound is Margo Price’s best and most-realized wheelhouse. This nine-song sequel/expansion only reinforces that notion. Collaborations with underground favorites like Jonathan Wilson and Buck Meek result in rootsy blues like “Malibu” and the hazy, Laurel Canyon rock-waltz of “Homesick”. Her tear-stained country weep sounds marvelous against Ny Oh’s folk-gospel backing on “Closer I Get”. Meanwhile, The Heartbreaker’s Mike Campbell’s fabulously expressive and ebbing guitar solos beautifully enrich her subtle spitfire on “Unoriginal Sin”. Psychedelic-laced saloon sounds reign supreme on the trippy honky tonk of “Mind Travel”, while the title track finally gets its moment in the spotlight, celebrating an exuberant and anthemic underdog spirit that burns deep inside of all of us. The centerpiece however proves to be the more stripped “Black Wolf Blues”, with a Willie-esque gut-string sound providing a tremendous showcase for the humble, emotive grace of Price’s storytelling. It paints a rustic, cinematic visual that’s accentuated perfectly by a soft, spooky psychedelic aura that connects it to the core of the entire project. Her gorgeous Cosmic lyrics are best displayed here as well: “Lived on a dirt road that never got longer/Now the one I’m on is pain that never ends/When I meet a stranger, there’s nothing stranger/Feeling that I’m meeting them all over again.” Moments like this, and both of these records as a collective, once again declare Margo Price as the ultimate modern flag-bearer for the Cosmic American music story. A story defined by artists like Gram Parsons, Emmylou Harris, Neil Young, Chris Hillman, Dwight Yoakam, and Lucinda Williams before her. She’s as exciting an artist to follow as any other act in the overall American music space at the present moment. Run, don’t walk, on your way to exploring her music.
The Rolling Stones- Hackney Diamonds (Polydor)
In one of the most anticipated releases of the entire year, Hackney Diamonds represents the first long-player from The Rolling Stones since a 2016 set of blues covers, and their first collection of original material since 2005’s A Bigger Bang. As cliched as it may sound, particularly in the context of reviewing modern Stones albums, all of its acclaim as the best release in the scattered legacy era of their catalog is absolutely warranted. Diamonds sounds as connected to their core classic rock sound as anything they’ve released since the 1980s, not to mention worthy of inclusion in the same conversation as some of their most pivotal records. Uniting for the first time with buzzy, modern producer Andrew Watt (Post Malone, Miley Cyrus, Elton John, Ozzy Osbourne), the band sounds remarkably reenergized and focused, in spite of the 2021 death of drummer Charlie Watts. This is immediately evidenced by the first crashing guitar lick and roaring vocal wail on the fiery opening cut and lead single, “Angry”. It’s a joyously intoxicating bar that is maintained throughout all of the dozen anthems that comprise the album. Jagger’s signature vocal command and charms sound as on-point as they have in decades, and the same can be said for the playing of his bandmates. They’re feeding off of each other in the same, electric fashion as they did at the height of the band’s chart domination in the 60s and 70s. Realizing its undeniable timeless accessibility, Watt intelligently keeps the band firmly planted in their straight-forward rock & roll mode, crafting a project that is both classic and fresh. It’s one of those projects stacked with rollicking anthems that keep the listener engaged and hungry throughout the entire running time, with anthems like “Bite My Head Off”, “Mess It Up”, “Live By the Sword”, and “Whole Wide World” making natural fits alongside classics like “Honky Tonk Women” and “I Can’t Get No Satisfaction”. Their trademark love of soul, country, and blues dabbling is also ever-apparent on standouts like “Get Close”, “Depending On You”, “Dreamy Skies”, and the finale, “Rolling Stone Blues”. Thrilling guest turns also provide an extra magic quality to the proceedings, including Elton’s piano, Paul McCartney’s blistering bass, and Bill Wyman’s return to the fold. No other moments in this regard are more pivotal however than the Lady Gaga-Stevie Wonder feature, “Sweet Sounds of Heaven”, a staggering performance that deserves to live on as an all-career classic. And that’s precisely what Hackney Diamonds boils down to in its entirety: the type of triumphant latter-day renaissance album that Stones fans have been waiting on for decades. The fact that it’s finally arrived at this juncture feels like a minor miracle, and an event that is worthy of passionate celebration.
The 706 
Leave a comment