Two Superstar releases

I don't normally acquire records by major names such as these two any longer because they do not need my support, they have plenty of yours. But there has been a blues wave to hit some of these major artists and my interest was piqued. First was Cyndi Lauper's "Memphis Blues." This one was wrong on soooooo many levels. Truly an incredibly bad decision to make. Jonny Lang and B.B. King couldn't pull this record up from the abyss. You can tell when BB is uninspired, and this is proof.




Now Sheryl Crow's record, "100 Miles From Memphis", is a 50/50 chance. I love what she's done with her career since 1993's "Tuesday Night Music Club." I was really behind that record as a David Baerwald fan. What is this, her 7th album of new material? In 17 years? Now that's a career path to emulate. Anyway, this album has the sunny Sheryl formula. She sings all over the damn thing. Finally, she shuts up late in the record and Doyle Bramhall II gets to shine on guitar once. He is why I gave "100 Miles" a shot in the first place, he co-wrote most every song yet he yields to Ms. Crow's stardom and stays in the background. There is a laundry list of credits as she provides jobs for half of L.A., waking up Keith Richards for one track and getting Justin Timberlake to sing backgrounds on TT D'Arby's "Sign Your Name", which is one of the tracks that works. I've seen her panned several times for her take on "I Want You Back", the Jackson 5 song she is said to have sung background on at the age of 12. Probably most of those reviewers weren't old enough or even alive in 1970 to have a true feel for the song. I think it's a spot on take and very well done, indeed.

And now we come to the winner of the bunch, "Mojo" by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. This record is solid from start to finish. Great songs, lyrics, guitar, everything! If you are looking for rockin' blues, this isn't it, but if you want a sampler of many other blues styles, run right out and get a copy. If you enjoyed the Mudcrutch sessions, you will love this. My second spin through Mojo happened during the cover of darkness of 4 A.M., driving I-24 on my way back from Tennessee. No distractions, just enveloped by the sound in my little 70 mph cocoon. Found myself turning the volume up with a big grin on my face. There may not be a "radio hit" per se on Mojo, but mark my words, track 11, "Don't Pull Me Over", will be a reggae smash by somebody before 2010 is over!