San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
NEW ALBUMS
The Doors, “L.A. Woman” 50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition (Rhino):
The original demo for the Doors’ macabre classic “Riders on the Storm” was thought for decades to be lost, until it was recently discovered on an unmarked tape reel in the band’s vault. This incredible recording is now the highlight of two hours of unreleased material from the band that are included in the 50th anniversary deluxe edition of the 1971 album “L.A. Woman.”
The release, presented in a set of three CDs and one LP, features the remastered album, which includes some of the band’s greatest hits, like “Love Her Madly” and the title track. As a bonus, there are outtakes from the original session recordings of classic blues tracks that Morrison loved, like John Lee Hooker’s “Crawling King Snake” and Junior Parker’s “Mystery Train.” A streaming version will also have a Dolby Atmos mix by co-producer and engineer Bruce Botkin.
Christian McBride & Inside Straight, “Live at the Village Vanguard” (Mack Avenue Records):
The seven-time Grammy-winning bassist just received another nomination in the best jazz ensemble album category for his last release, “For Jimmy, Wes and Oliver.” But McBride, wasting no time, has just put out a live album with Inside Straight, “Live at the Village Vanguard.” Taken from a December 2014 run of shows at the storied New York jazz club, the album presents McBride’s signature big, open style of playing the standup bass alongside Inside Straight’s Steve Wilson on sax,
Warren Wolf on vibraphone, Peter Martin on piano and Carl Allen on drums. “The Shade of the Cedar Tree” is a brilliant confluence of the musician’s sounds, with McBride the leader, setting the tone alongside Wilson and the masterful Wolf standing out on vibes. This marks the second “Live at the Village Vanguard” release from the bassist, the first of which was with the Christian McBride Trio in 2015 and which, unsurprisingly, won a Grammy.
SONG OF THE MOMENT
Saweetie, “Icy Chain” (ICY/ Warner): It’s hardly Saweetie’s fault if multiple Bay Area cities want to claim her as their own: The burgeoning superstar was born in Santa Clara, went to high school in Tracy and has lived in Hayward, Palo Alto and San Jose. (She has since decamped for Los Angeles.) Born Diamonté Quiava Valentin Harper, Saweetie is now a bona fide sensation who just garnered nominations for best new artist and best rap song (for “Best Friend” featuring Doja Cat) at the 64th annual awards.
On Nov. 20, the rapper was onstage on “Saturday Night Live,” debuting her latest single, “Icy Chain.” Adorned in a diamond-studded corset and rapping into a matching diamond-studded mike, she sang