Looking at the artist’s history and this album credits raises the level of expectation considerably. New York singer-songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Benny Trokan played with bands such as Spoon, Lee Fields’ Expressions, Reigning Sound, Charles Bradley’s Extraordinaires and The Jay Vons. On his first solo record Do You Still Think Of Me you hear Morgan King (bass) and Mikey Post (drums), but also contributions from countless other big names. Trokan reportedly wrote the twelve songs here with other singers in mind, but it was a good decision that he kept them for himself—I am pleasantly surprised, in many ways. Musically it is a unique mix of 60s-inspired soul, garage rock and freakbeat, partly sweet and partly raw, partly subdued and partly energetic, but always appealing and well-executed. An unsuspecting listener might think this LP is a various artists compilation, if it weren’t for the gritty vocals and wonderful production that provide a common thread. This one is a keeper.
Do You Still Think Of Me is out now digitally and on vinyl LP through Wick Records.
The Charades are a Los Angeles-based soul duo featuring Joshua Strauther and Curtis Pettygrove. Their debut EP C is for Charades enchants with meandering melodies, groovy hooks and attractive vocals. The vintage sound in the five tunes here, with warm tones of organ and vibraphone, has something cinematic and mysterious. Reportedly, Screaming Jay Hawkins’ I Put a Spell On You served as inspiration to create a somewhat spooky atmosphere, and although it is not as frantic as that 1956 classic, its mood is captured quite well. The Q for Quality applies.
C is for Charades, engineered, mixed and mastered by Aaron Stern / Dan Young, is out now digitally and on 7″ vinyl through Earth Libraries.
For this one, we’re taking a turn off the bumpy rock ‘n’ roll road we usually cruise around, ending up in a smooth and sultry space, but I like it, so here we go. Reno, Nevada-based singer-songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Saoul Bumbu has just released his new full-length ElectricPeachyCocoFuzz, featuring eleven soulful funk tracks that exude a Prince-related vibe but are still completely original. The artist has coined the term ‘The Fuzz’ for his colorful and hypnotic sound with psych, rock and jazz influences, in which synths predominate but guitars are also present. Check. Expect explicit songs that will work well both on the dance floor and in the bedroom.
ElectricPeachyCocoFuzz, written, composed, produced and performed by Saoul (Phreakyamind Inc.), is out now digitally (self-released). Also featuring Joey Satellite, Marlene LoRayne, Gabe Gonzalez aka The Undi$co Kidd and Corey Dee Williams on select tracks.
Jimmy James (Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio, True Loves), Adam Scone (Scone Cash Players, The Sugarman 3), and Tim Carman (GA-20, Tim Carman Trio)—Parlor Greens is a supergroup for sure. Their joint debut LP In Green We Dream was written, performed, and recorded straight to an old Tascam 388 tape machine, within three days after the three maestros came together, where the magic of instant chemistry took effect. These are eleven organ-heavy instrumentals – soulful funk and psychedelic jazz – with a raw and loose live feel. After ten original cuts, including a beautiful tribute to the late Sharon Jones (Flowers For Sharon), the trio closes with a grooving George Harrison cover (My Sweet Lord).
In Green We Dream is out now digitally, on CD and vinyl LP, through Colemine Records. RIYL: The Meters, Guy Hamper Trio feat. James Taylor, Booker T & The MG’s, Medeski Martin & Wood.
Not all new music is really new, as many artists cover songs. Sometimes these are songs by their favorite artists, eg as a tribute to such a musical hero for a special reason, or they simply feel that a song deserves to be dusted and polished to reacquaint fans with great songs from the past. Other times, bands cover songs as a parody. Regardless of intent, some of those cover versions are so good or so much fun, we’d like to put a spotlight on them. Chosen from a wide range, here are – in random order – ten of our favorite covers from last month – links to the pages where you can add them to your wantlist included.
The big cover news in July was that Disney announced that Mickey & Friends will release A Whole New Sound, an album featuring Disney hits covered by alternative rock and pop-punk bands, with Elton John’s Can You Feel the Love Tonight (from The Lion King) by Simple Plan as a first taste. Being stubborn as we are, we offer you some other choice cuts here.
How Does It Feel To Feel || Cover: Jody and the Jerms || Original: The Creation Jody and the Jerms mix indie rock, garage pop and punk with a good dose of energy, charm, and hooks, so you’ll understand that we’re fans of the British band. Their new Different SkiesEP (self-released) contains five tracks that are quite different from each other but are all equally attractive, including a wonderful cover of The Creation’s 1967 single, a personal mod favorite.
I Can Only Give You Everything || Cover: The Fadeaways || Original: Them As part of their 2024 Australian debut tour, Japanese garage rock sensation The Fadeaways have released the appropriately titled Pretty Wild LP (out on Cheersquad Records & Tapes), featuring four originals and four covers, a raw and raucous mix of 60s-inspired garage, punk and psych. You can’t really go wrong with any of the songs from Toyozo (vocals, bass), Assman (guitar) and Ozzy (drums), fate decided this one.
Prove My Love || Cover: Monty Vega & The Sittin’ Shivas || Original: Violent Femmes Monty Vega & The Sittin’ Shivas are an old school punk rock outfit from Portland, Oregon. We previously wrote about their albums Affordable Excellence and Closed (No Fun), and we would also like to share their new Little Dilemma EP (self-released) with you. In addition to two nice originals, there are catchy covers of The Moody Blues’ Ride My See-Saw and this track from Violent Femmes’ 1983 debut studio LP.
Teenage Kicks || Cover: Lone Justice || Original: The Undertones London-based alt-country punk outfit Lone Justice – Maria McKee, Ryan Hedgecock and Marvin Etzoni – had their heyday in the 80s, but still sound vibrant and urgent as ever on a brand new 7” (out on Afar). Taken from their upcoming album, the A-side here is a passionate rendition of the indestructible Undertones classic. The flip has a live version of Nothing Can Stop My Loving You, written by George Jones and Roger Miller.
Time (BBC session version) || Cover: The Loft || Original: Richard Hell Nearly forty years ago, Peter Astor, Andy Strickland, Bill Prince and Dave Morgan wrote indie pop history on Creation Records as The Loft. Last October they went back into the BBC’s Maida Vale Studios to record a four-track Riley & Coe session, now released on 10″ vinyl (through Precious Recordings of London). They close with this wonderful jangling cover. Timeless.
Do It Twice || Cover: Joey Quiñones || Original: Bob Marley & The Wailers Los Angeles-based record label My Grito have released the very entertaining charity compilation Mas Alto! Volume 6, featuring 26 Latin-flavored tracks by cool bands/artists such as Harlis Sweetwater, 3LH, The Fazes and Go Betty Go. Largely in the corner of garage rock and skate punk, but actually broader than that, like this sunny Chicano soul cover of Thee Sinseers’ Joey Quiñones.
A Thing About You || The Dahlmanns || Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers Norwegian power pop outfit The Dahlmanns are back with the very nice Lucky EP (out on Snap!! Records Spain), which, in addition to the vibrant title track, contains infectious covers of Tom Petty’s A Thing About You (from his 1981 Hard Promises LP with The Heartbreakers ) and Fleetwood Mac’s Blue Letter (from their 1975 self-titled album).
Sha La La La Lee || Cover: Howlin’ Ric & The Rocketeers || Small Faces British rock ‘n’ rollers Howlin’ Ric (Richard Colley) and his Rocketeers (Adam Richards, Ben Powling, Joshua Smout and Will Lakin) are back with another six exciting rhythm & blues tunes, brought together on their digital Covers 3 EP (self-released), which naturally follows Covers 1 and Covers 2 (2020). Especially their live take on this quirky 1966 Small Faces hit is fun.
Wave of Mutilation (Live at Edone, Bergamo, Italy) || Cover: Geoff Palmer || Original: Pixies The 2022 performance of Geoff Palmer (vocals, guitar) with Zack Sprague (drums, vocals) and Kurt Baker (bass, vocals) at Italian summer festival Punk Rock Raduno is now also available on vinyl LP. The live registration of the thirteen tracks has captured the power and fun of these three heroes quite well, with this surprising Pixies cover towards the end of the show.
Shakin’ All Over || Cover: The Raveonettes || Original: Johnny Kidd and the Pirates More than twenty years after their debut, Danish rock duo The Raveonettes provide a nice insight into the bands that inspired them to start making music. On The Raveonettes Sing… (Cleopatra Records) they cover ten of them, including The Velvet Underground (Venus In Furs), The Shirelles (Will You Love Me Tomorrow), The Cramps (Goo Goo Muck), and this one, in which their sound comes out best.
Bonus track:
Walking On Sunshine || Cover: Ice Nine Kills & Reel Big Fish || Original: Katrina and the Waves Sumerian Comics is in full swing with the American Psycho comic series, and if that’s not enough, Sumerian Records is adding a soundtrack. The latest addition is a remarkable cover by metalcore band Ice Nine Kills together with ska punk band Reel Big Fish, both doing their own thing, making this version as overcrowded as it is disturbing. Don’t it feel good? I guess it’s just as ambiguous as the previous book and movie.
Also worth mentioning: Adieu Monde Cruel (Pink Floyd’s Goodbye Cruel World) by Le Volume Était Au Maximum (LVEAM) The American Ruse (MC5) by Carson McHone Can’t Take My Eyes Off You (Frankie Valli) by Buckets Escape from the City (Ted Poley & Tony Harnell) by Devon Kay & the Solutions (Ghost) Riders In The Sky (Stan Jones) by Charley Crockett Never Meant (American Football) by Iron & Wine Rock & Roll (The Velvet Underground) by The Ratchets Telepathic Love (Wipers) by Lifeguard Venus In Furs (The Velvet Underground & Nico) by Seablite What Was I Made For? (Billie Eilish) by Ben Klahr Why Worry (Dire Straits) by Isobel Campbell Wurlitzer Jukebox (Young Marble Giants) by Swirls
Check out our Dusted playlist on Spotify for more cool cover songs.
Chicago-based songwriters Woody Goss and Jeremy Daly are back with their 70s-inspired new album Hold Up, Look Back. We get nine sun-kissed and soulful songs in which yacht rock meets dance funk. Witty lyrics are delivered, without irony, by heavenly harmony vocals (one striking example: “I was writing you a love letter // It turned into pornography // Figuring my shit out // Getting into therapy” – from Love Letter), and magical musicians guarantee groovy melodies. Quirky fun and funky quality are a golden combination, just like Woody & Jeremy are.
Hold Up, Look Back is out now digitally and on vinyl LP. Featuring Woody Goss (keys, piano, guitar, Jeremy Daly (vocals), Packy Lundholm (guitar, percussion), Reuben Garza (drums), Joe Dart (bass), Andrew Vogt (bass), Jess Best (background vocals), Taylor Harvey (background vocals) and Ted Taforo (saxophone).
“Give me all your attention // Gonna make you feel my vibe // With my hips and my lips // And my funk inside” sings Brooklyn born and bred rhythm & blues powerhouse Bette Smith in the title track of her new (third) LP Goodthing. The record contains thirteen original soul and gospel songs with a rock ‘n’ roll feel, varying in tempo but always intense, presenting personal stories of resilience and passion through hardship and neglect. It is the awesome distinctive vocals that naturally take the leading role, but don’t ignore the musicians behind the singer, because their 70s-infused sound is as groovy and empathetic as can be. “Can’t get too much of a good thing” we hear, and that’s exactly how it is.
Goodthing, produced by Jimmy Hogarth, is out now digitally, on CD and vinyl LP, through Kartel Music Group. RIYL Tina Turner, Betty Davis, Macy Gray.
California-based singer-songwriter Quinn DeVeaux wanted his new album Leisure to feel like a front porch swinging in a hammock, and he succeeded wonderfully. The LP features ten original soul songs laced with blues, funk and gospel elements, ten well-produced songs with attractive hooks and melodies played by a packed line-up* of star musicians, fertile ground for pleasant vocals that provide earworm choruses. Laid-back, sun-kissed and charming as can be, here’s your soundtrack for this summer.
Leisure, produced by Matt Ross-Spang and Lech Wierzynski, is out now digitally, on CD and vinyl LP, through SofaBurn Records. *Featuring Quinn DeVeaux (vocals, guitars, bass), Jerry Pentecost (drums, percussion), Nick Otis (drums), Dave Guy (bass), Christoffer Andersen (bass), Lorenzo Loera (bass), Robbie Crowell (keys), Jacob Smolowe (keys), Tony Owen (guitar), Lech Wierzynski (guitar), Micah Hulscher (organ, clavinet), Patrick Sweany (guitar), Alexis Saski (backing vocals), Laura Mayo (backing vocals), Talia DeVeaux (backing vocals), Arthur Edmaiston (sax), Kirk Smothers (sax), Marc Franklin (trumpet), Emmanuel Echem (trumpet) and Jake Botts (sax).
If your listening diet allows for a well-seasoned mix of reggae, ska, afro-beat, folk, funk, roots rock and punk, you can safely add Roots Round Up to it. Up Rooted, the sixth full-length album from these Vancouver’s veteran musicians (the band formed in 1985), features twelve songs, including six new original ones – their first in thirty years. In addition, it also has covers of DOA’s War in the East and Sarcastic Mannequins’ Four Arabs In A Red Fury (abbreviated here to Red Fury), plus four live recordings from last year’s performance on Denman Island. Despite the eclectic influences, it is an organic whole around current themes, with shimmering horns and pulsing rhythms – a loose and uplifting sound, surprisingly easy to digest.
Up Rooted, recorded by Stephen Hamm, is out now digitally via Revolver, and on CD and vinyl LP through Sudden Death Records. Featuring Greg Hathaway, David “Dymitri” Hanna, David Hathaway, Keith Rose, Mark Campbell, Eric Napier and Bradford Lambert.
Penza Penza is the garage psych project of the prolific Estonia-born/Portugal-based composer/multi-instrumentalist/producer Misha Panfilov, and his friends. After Beware Of Penza Penza, Neanderthal Rock and Electricolorized, they now come across with full-length album number 4, Alto E Primitivo, their loudest effort yet. You’ll hear fourteen instrumental tracks full of original melodies, in which the jazz influences have been pushed further into the background, and heavy grooves dominate. It’s an unstoppable rock fest with a stylistic funk flavor, tripped out and fuzzy, hypnotic and cool. This is a melting pot of Western and non-Western ideas, and a gold mine for sampling producers.
Alto E Primitivo is out now digitally and on vinyl LP through Funk Night Records.