Jah Fire Burning

"Only the righteous ones will be free, we will chant Jah victory..." About time for another old-fashioned ten pack of roots reggae 'round here, mon. Jah's the word for now, lord of lords and king of kings in rasta circles. Not the biggest of names, but all-killer-no-filler just the same - trust me. And don't forget to give thanks and praise, please.

Barry Brown - Jah Jah Guide Them

Silvertones - Rejoice Jah Jah Children

Ijahman Levy - Jah Heavy Load

Errol Alphonso - Chant Jah Victory

Sylford Walker - Give Thanks And Praise To Jah

Jah Carlos - Prepare Jah Man

The Chantells & U Brown - Children Of Jah/Time To Unite

Hot Rocks & Jah Locksley - Jah Jah Is No Partial

Jah Woosh - Free Jah Jah Children

Hugh Mundell - Jah Fire Will Be Burning

One And Only

I wouldn't want to go without any of my Otis albums of course, but The Great Otis Redding Sings Soul Ballads ('65) remains the stone cold favorite. Them horns sound so goood... Never understood that strange white rectangle on the otherwise beautiful cover though.

Otis Redding - Your One And Only Man

Otis Redding - I Want To Thank You

¡Palmas!

Here's one more authentic flamenco beauty by Moraíto, the late guitar maestro from Jerez de la Frontera. On vocals: the equally terrific María Vala.

Moraíto - Marivala

Waxing Nostalgic

Presenting a nostalgic six pack for the weekend, 'cause all that tweeting is making me itch. "When you are lonely and tired of another man's gold, when you are weary, remember this letter, my own..."

The Box Tops - The Letter

The Mekons - Love Letter

Shuggie Otis - Island Letter

Tim Buckley - Dream Letter

Dave Van Ronk - Death Letter Blues

Rex Griffin - The Last Letter

Play All Night For You

Just got word that Levon Helm, pride of Arkansas, died today. My fave singing drummer was 71 years old. Miss him.

The Band - Jemima Surrender

Big Ears Billy

Hadn't even fully digested Bonnie Prince Billy's fine recent collaboration with Mariee Sioux yet, and here's the king of Louisville at work again already, crooning away on a brand new album called The Marble Downs by British folk-rockers Trembling Bells. Now is it just me or do I hear the melody of a certain song from uncle Walt's Dumbo movie in Ain't Nothing Wrong With A Little Longing? And is that cool or what?

Trembling Bells & Bonnie Prince Billy - Ain't Nothing Wrong With A Little Longing

Bonnie Prince Billy & Mariee Sioux - Loveskulls

Bound To Ramble

"I'm going out on the highway, listen to them big trucks whine..." Flatlander Jimmie Dale Gilmore sure knew how to do Townes right.

Jimmie Dale Gilmore - White Freight Liner Blues

Mad Vision

Now I dunno who came up with the idea to let the Mad Professor loose on Massive Attack's slighty disappointing second helping, but that person sure had vision in spades. The resulting remix/dub album No Protection remains a massive personal fave.

Massive Attack & Mad Professor - Eternal Feedback (Sly)

And while we're at it, here's the Prof on his own, from his humble but hard-hitting '82 debut Dub Me Crazy!! Right on.

Mad Professor - Your Rights/My Rights

Really Sucks

"I am positive that she is positive, and I think it's really sad she's gonna die..." Remember Jeff Dahl? Afro'd punkrocker, played in the Angry Samoans and Powertrip before starting his own mean lil' outfit. Probably wrote the first punk song ever about aids, and a damn good one at that. Featuring the legendary Dave Smalley on guest vocals.

Jeff Dahl - Positive

Roots Touches

Back with a rootsy bang, as Just The Vibes is a fine reggae collection on the excellent Moll-Selekta label I had criminally overlooked until recently. Not so strange that, as Brooks himself always preferred a position in the background. Although he was definitely a talented singer, Brooks rather worked away quietly in the producer's chair, putting the finishing touches to roaring roots music by the Revolutionaries, the Mighty Diamonds, Barry Brown, and his pal Jah Lloyd, to name but a few.

Mike Brooks - Holy Jah Jah

Mike Brooks - Money Is Not All

Jah Lloyd - Natty Bid Goodbye

Hot Boys

Four saxes, one vision. Always loved Tenor Conclave, a hot blowing session recorded in 1956 and featuring messrs. Mobley, Cohn, Coltrane, and Sims in great form. The Bob in the title refers to Bob Weinstock btw, founder of the famous jazz label Prestige. While you dig, I'm off for a few days on a hopefully sunny rest & recuperation trip. See ya sometime next week.

Hank Mobley, Al Cohn, John Coltrane, Zoot Sims - Bob's Boys

Purple Velvet

And here's mr. Hendrix, from that wonderful purple velvet box set I just can't get enough of at the mo. We'll start with a short but very sweet early take of Room Full Of Mirrors from the Electric Ladyland sessions, with his old pal Paul Caruso on harp. And we'll conclude with the full blast tandem of Hey Baby and In From The Storm, recorded on the Hawaiian island of Maui in that long gone summer of 1970.

The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Room Full Of Mirrors

The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Hey Baby/In From The Storm

Screen Door Slams

This just in from the Americana dept: time to meet Screen Door Porch, all the way from Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Got a second album coming up which will be called The Fate & The Fruit, and I'm calling on all aficionados of twang to pay some well-deserved attention.

Screen Door Porch - Burnin' At Both Ends

Screen Door Porch - Devil's Honey