Just Released - 2013 [Ep.4]

This week on Just Released with Bill Riner & Brandon Stewart:

“Red Pants and the Sugarman in the Temple Street gloom,

Drinkin’ Chivas Regal in a four dollar room…”:

[“Downtown” – Tom Waits (1980)]

As a songwriter, Tom Waits has artfully conjured imagery and characters from the seedier side of America’s nightlife, like a Charles Bukowski novel set to music. In this week’s edition of JR, his supremely weathered vocal chords serve to interpret the time worn sea shanty (or chantey, according to the album cover), “Shenandoah”, on which he duets with the similarly ragged voice of Keith Richards. The expansive collection, ‘Son Of Rogues Gallery’ gathers similarly themed songs by a wide array of artistes to return the sea shanty to its previous stature in contemporary Folk.

Also looking to re-establish a style of music currently under threat of extinction (although through the circumstance of modern politics rather than lost to antiquity), is Malian singer songwriter, Rokia Traore who can establish an hypnotic groove, sing in three different languages and make a pointed political statement, all in the space of one song. The World music flavours are sprinkled throughout this edition of JR with the welcome return of Melbourne band, The Cat Empire, and Florida’s Country/Rock ‘n’ Roll goodtime band, The Mavericks.

We also find some great electronic sounds from the UK with a new album from Foals and another on the way from James Blake, the first preview of which set the JR Radar™ buzzing this week. Checking for dust on the Comeback Trail also proved fruitful with an intelligent, challenging and brilliantly executed album from Deborah Conway and Willy Zygier, mostly about, well, God. Many will recall Deborah’s voice from her days in Do-Re-Mi, but you may never have heard her sound like this before. 

The Cat Empire: “Brighter Than Gold” (new single from the un-named forthcoming album)

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds: “Water’s Edge” (from the album, ‘Push The Sky Away’)

Rokia Traore: “Beautiful Africa" (preview from the album, ‘Beautiful Africa’)

James Blake: “Retrograde” (preview from the album, ‘Overgrown’)

Foals: “Out Of The Woods”/”Milk And Black Spiders” (from the album, ‘Holy Fire’)

Deborah Conway & Willy Zygier: “G-D”/”Outside Of Zion” (preview from the album, ‘Stories Of Ghosts’)

The Mavericks: “Born To Be Blue”/”As Long As There’s Loving Tonight” (preview from the album, ‘In Time’)

Tom Waits & Keith Richards: “Shenandoah” (from the album, ‘Son Of Rogues Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs & Chanteys’)

Just Released is heard Saturdays at 12pm and Sundays at 4pm (AEDT or AEST) on ABC Digital Radio in Brisbane, Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth, and via the streams of our metropolitan stations on the Gold Coast, in Newcastle, Hobart and Darwin.  You can also listen to the show during the week on ABC Dig Music Mondays @ 2pm, Wednesdays @ 8pm & Thursdays @ 11am (AEDT or AEST) and on Radio Australia throughout Asia & the Pacific.

To stream Just Released on demand, connect to our web pages via the links above.

               ♫

    ♫   {](-_-)[}   ♫         Thanks for listening.