RECENTLY RELEASED
Gary Clark Jr., Live/North America 2016 (Warner Bros.). If you like your GCJ long-form, with plenty of room for jams and solos, this one’s for you. While we’d like to hear more new material from Austin’s shooting-star guitar slinger — he’s now released a live-album rehash after each of his two Warner Bros. studio albums — “North America 2016” does document Clark in a different phase than 2014’s “Live” did. A telling comparative observation: Though “When My Train Pulls In” and “Numb” both appeared on the 2014 live disc (as well as his 2012 Warner Bros. debut “Blak and Blu”), the versions here are longer, with the former extending to nearly 10 minutes. And while there’s no new original material, covers of Jimmy Reed’s “Honest I Do” and Elmore James’ “My Baby’s Gone” further tip Clark’s hand toward his deep blues roots (fitting for a co-owner of the revived Antone’s nightclub). Seven tracks come from 2015’s “The Story of Sonny Boy Slim,” including “Shake,” which picks up a spark with soul sensation Leon Bridges and saxophonist Jeff Dazey sitting in. Playing May 2 at Erwin Center (opening for Tom Petty). Here’s the video for “The Healing”:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMJSg7qAHGE&w=492&h=307]
OUT THIS WEEK
Flyjack, “New Day.” The seven-piece funk-soul ensemble — with another eight musicians contributing in the studio — mixes original material with carefully selected covers, including the Skull Snaps’ obscure yet influential 1970s track “It’s a New Day” (which gave this record its name). The sound relies heavily on horns, with both the Hellfire Horns and Boombox Brass local ensembles adding heft to the group’s own sax and trumpet players. Release show March 31 at the Blackheart. Here’s the title track:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIS5Bx9j58c&w=492&h=307]
Toma, “Aroma.” The quartet’s debut release features eight songs of modern indie-pop that harkens back to ’80s new wave, with White Denim’s James Petralli producing and adding guitar. Here’s the track “Count Me Out”:
[soundcloud url="https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/293695791" params="color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false" width="100%" height="166" iframe="true" /]COMING SOON
- APRIL 7: Darden Smith, “Everything,” in-store April 6 at Waterloo Records, release show April 8 at Stateside at the Paramount.
- APRIL 7: Sweet Spirit, “St. Mojo” (Nine Mile), release shows March 31 and April 1 at Barracuda.
- APRIL 7: Octopus Project, “Memory Mirror” (Robot High School).
- APRIL 7: Cotton Mather, “Wild Kingdom.”
- APRIL 7: Greg Vanderpool, “Pilot,” release show April 7 at Continental Gallery.
- APRIL 7: Julia Lucille, “Chthonic” (Keeled Scales), release show April 7 at Mohawk indoor.
- APRIL 7: Walker Lukens, “Ain’t Got a Reason” EP (Modern Outsider).
- APRIL 14: Digital Wild, “Tall As Trees” EP.
- APRIL 15: Bluebonnets, “Tonewrecker,” release show April 15 at the Townsend.
- APRIL 19: Ulrich Ellison & Tribe, “America.”
- APRIL 21: Emily Bell & the Talkbacks, “Kali” EP.
- APRIL 28: Willie Nelson, “God’s Problem Child” (Legacy).
- APRIL 28: Bruce Robison & the Back Porch Band, self-titled.
- APRIL 28: Beth // James, “All in Life” EP.
- MAY 12: Suzanna Choffel, “Hello Goodbye,” release show May 12 at 3Ten.
- MAY 19: Jimmie Vaughan Trio featuring Mike Flanigin, “Live at C-Boy’s” (Proper).
- MAY 19: Wild Now, “Afterglow” EP.
- MAY 19: Girling, “Side 1” EP, release show May 19 at Sidewinder.
- MAY: Wendy Colonna, “No Moment But Now.”
- MAY: Kay Odyssey, “What’s a Woman to Do” (Little Bit).
