SEVEN music IN SEVEN
Welcome to Seven in Seven, where each Thursday in this space we typically take a look at shows coming to the region over the next week. Due to the coronavirus pandemic though, most venue doors have shuttered, and few concerts are taking place. That doesn’t mean the music stops, and new releases are coming out weekly from artists you know and love and some waiting to be discovered. Whether your musical tastes are rock ’n roll, jazz, heavy metal, R&B, singer-songwriter or indie, there’ll always be something to check out on the docket each Friday. Here are seven of the best hitting shelves and streaming services on July 24.
1 The Rivieras — “The Coed Singles”
Based in New York’s legendary Brill Building — home to pop and Tin Pan Alley songwriters and labels through the 1950s and ’60s — Coed Records was the fledgling venture of ex-big bandleader George Paxton and business partner Marvin Cane. This summer sees the release of five collections by doo-wop groups on the label, including The Rivieras. Featuring precise vocal harmonies and meaningful lyrics, the outfit grew out of late ’50s R&B/ doo-wop ensembles and were purveyors of classic
New Jersey doo-wop in the ballad style. They made their mark covering tunes that had been made famous by big bandleaders such as Ray Anthony and Glenn Miller. All of their Coed singles, plus two bonus tracks, amounting to all the released output by the group, are represented in this compilation.
2 Lori McKenna — “The Balladeer”
The release of “The Balladeer” continues a series of landmark years for Lori McKenna following her 2018 album, “The Tree,” which received widespread critical acclaim and landed on several “Best of 2018” lists in addition to being nominated for album of the year at the Americana Music Awards. Recorded at Nashville’s historic RCA Studio A, the new LP is the singer-songwriter’s most personal album to date,
featuring songs that reflect firsthand on her relationships with her children, husband and family. Following this theme, she wrote the majority of the album alone except for three tracks written with Hillary Lindsey and Liz Rose, collectively known as the
Love Junkies.
3 Alister Spence — “Whirlpool”
“Whirlpool” is Alister Spence’s first solo piano recording in over 30years and sees the Australian jazz pianist and composer creating an aurally engaging, deeply emotional and utterly original world of sound. Like the rapidly rotating mass of water for which it is named, the twodisc, completely improvised album draws listeners into a powerful, irresistible musical range. The breadth Spence elicits from his instrument is striking, informed by decades of work as a jazz and avantgarde pianist and improviser, as well as years of experience as a composer for orchestra, film and theater. The 23discrete improvised pieces on the LP make use of the entire piano, inside and out. Employing an orchestral palette of tones and a highly developed repertoire of piano techniques, he embarks on a breathtaking exploratory journey.
4 The Lotts — “We Are The Lotts”
Formed in 2018, Monmouth, UK garage rock outfit The Lotts’ ferocious live set encapsulates everything that the band stands for: do it fast, do it loud. It was this mindset they first took to the studio. The intention was to record three tracks and see what happened. Instead, they recorded 16tracks in three days, all live and straight to tape.
The result is this five-song debut EP, which carries hints of their primary influences in Captain Beefheart, Frank Zappa, The Stooges and The New York Dolls with a hefty blend of the Velvet Underground.
5 Maverick Sabre — “You Know How It Feels”
Since his critically acclaimed 2019release “When I Wake Up,” Irish singer, songwriter and rapper Maverick Sabre has reclaimed his position as one of the most respected voices and artists on the scene.
The project explores themes around society, faith, relationships, hope, hurt and much more alongside powerful collaborations with Jorja Smith and Chronixx. The four-track EP “You Know How It Feels” explores sensitive touch points within relationships, neglected youth, politics, the power of influence and dismissed generations. It’s a solid followup to last year’s acutely personal, powerful and poignant LP.
6 Jesse Dayton— “Gulf Coast Sessions”
Through his decades-long career, Jesse Dayton has become one of the music industry’s best-kept secrets and valuable weapons with a sound that blends rock, blues, old-school country, punk rock and zydeco. The Austin, Texas-based guitarist, singer, songwriter and filmmaker now delivers the “Gulf Coast Sessions” EP, which was recorded on the back porch of his friend Clay Connell’s old house-turned-vintage-shop Roadhouse Rags in South Austin. Taking the spirit of Dayton’s childhood memories, the results are a raw, stripped-down house party fun, evident on tracks like the singles “Beaumonster Boogie” and “House Party 2340 Dauphine.”
7 The Duprees — “The Coed Singles”
Closing out how we started this week’s Seven in Seven, The Duprees signed to Coed Records in 1962from a demo tape while some of the members were still teenagers. They combined the sounds of big band orchestrations with harmony-heavy vocals and made a mark with a remake of the Jo Stafford hit “You Belong to Me,” which hit No. 7in the summer of 1962. They landed their second single, “My Own True Love,” widely known as “Tara’s Theme” from the film “Gone With the Wind,” at No. 13. “The Coed Singles” features all The Duprees’ A and B sides for the label.