Dispatch 5.25: Album 2's on its way
A few recommendations and updates on what's coming very soon
Just a quick dispatch today because I want to keep the momentum going – and I’m bad at managing my time (I’d have written a shorter letter if I had more time, etc. etc.)
Thank you all for reading the last couple essays. It’s been great to know you’re enjoying them (thank you for the feedback!), and I’ll have another one on Mac Miller’s “Swimming In Circles” hitting your inboxes on Tuesday1. The plan is to put out an essay or dispatch every week – because I wanna let you into my music mind and this feels better suited to my personality than talking into a phone camera.
This week begins in earnest the next big chapter of my musical journey:
Album 2.0 is on its way.
The process started back in December with Somewhere Else producer Justin Glasco, laying down the foundations for a couple of songs whenever we could find a few spare days – and now it’s finally taking shape.
Next week we’ll have the band back in action – plus a few new friends, like Charles Jones (of Vulfpeck, Scary Pockets, and Jennifer Hudson fame) joining the gang. The vibe is decidedly more soulful. I think we’ve all still got some 2020 trauma to shake off…but, if the ‘70s taught me anything, it’s that the best way to shake shit off is with a good ass groove.
What’s Been On My Ears…
Tina Turner — We lost a legend. A true earth shaker. Ask Mick Jagger where he stole his stage moves from. My generation grew up more with the Big Hair “What’s Love Got To Do With It” pop star, but when I first saw and heard what she and her2 revue could do it blew my friggin socks off. And yes, it goes deeper than just “Proud Mary.” That voice, that earth shattering rasp that vibrated your soul. The way she grabbed you by the friggin throat and said, “feel this damn groove!” Tina Turner is rock & roll. Want to define it? It’s her.
Tumbleweed Connection by Elton John — Far from his best selling record, this early set of cowboy-stained, swampy rock & roll tunes shows off Elton and his band’s most skanky side. Burn Down the Mission is a lesser-known hit, but it’s full of riskier takes and big swings of songcraft that clearly laid the template for the MASSIVE albums to come. Worth a revisit.
Chain of Need by Benjamin Jaffe — An LA cat I met at the Hotel Cafe, Ben is a musician’s musician. He plays everything (including guitar & vocals in Kacey Musgraves touring band), and makes shit up as he goes. Mixed by my man Ryan Lipman, this tune takes a subtle swipe at the American Dream with nuanced descriptions of the modern man…in all his glory. It’s also got a great mix of chorused-out indie rock guitars with a programmed drum groove and a full-of-funk guitar solo. Check it out.
Heading to the studio now. Maybe I’ll put a few rough works in progress up here if enough people ask nicely…
-David
Got an album/artist/song your curious about my take on? Shoot baby shoot! This is an admittedly one-sided conversation…but it’s a conversation nonetheless. Drop a comment.
Let’s be very clear. They called it the Ike & Tina Turner Revue, and while I wish they’d take his name off of Spotify, there is absolutely no question as to who the crowd came to see, and it wasn’t Ike.