Bears

Lyle Lovett and about half of his Large Band

One evening in 1994, having given no previous hint of my intention, I told my wife that we were going to attend a concert by Lyle Lovett that was happening in the forthcoming week. Having no previous familiarity with Lovett's music, or knowing much about him besides his brief marriage to actress Julia Roberts, which for quite a while was all that most folks knew him for, she cautiously said OK, knowing that if nothing else, it would entail a nice evening out at the theater. I was fairly new to his work as well, and liked what I'd heard, but truly, neither of us knew what was coming.

And so, the day arrived and we got to the theater and found our seats. The lights went down and the band made their way onstage. After a brief acoustic intro, Lyle began his set with a dark, quiet song called "She's Already Made Up Her Mind". We were both hooked instantly. There are few better musical experiences one can enjoy than having good seats at an old theater that was built to have good sound, with an engaging performer fronting a highly skilled band whose music encourages active listening. My wife and I have attended 2 more Lyle shows since, and last year, got to meet with him and several of his band members following the show, which made for a very memorable evening.

Lyle Lovett. A man and his Collings guitar.

Know this about Lyle Lovett and his music. If you attend one of his concerts, you will experience the following. 1: A group of top flight, tightly rehearsed, world class musicians, including the likes of Viktor Krauss, Russ Kunkel and cellist John Hagen. Lyle always brings the best. 2: A higher standard of excellence in quality concert audio. Lyle obviously employs sound technicians who enjoy their work and aren't happy until things sound, as Bob Weir put it, "just exactly right". And 3: a collection of songs that can be lyrically quirky, but are often musically gorgeous at the same time. As a songwriter, Lovett has a strong gift for populating his songs with characters that have an engaging tale to tell. Now more than a quarter century into his recording career, it’s difficult to remember that he was once considered just another 'Country' artist. Sure, there’s an element of Country music in nearly everything he plays, but Blues and Jazz are also prominent, and ample doses of Folk, Gospel, and even Swing are very much in evidence as well. So don't get hung up on genre. Whether he’s playing with his Acoustic Group or his Large Band, just consider Lyle Lovett to be a musical category all to himself. And, to top it all off, he's a gentleman and a class act.

As consistently great as Lovett's original material is, his 1998 double album, "Step Inside This House", is all covers. The album is an homage to his favorite Texas songwriters. You may recognize such names as Michael Murphey, Townes Van Zandt, Guy Clark, Walter Hyatt, Willis Alan Ramsey, Robert Earl Keen, Eric Taylor, and Steven Fromholz, who has no fewer than 4 of his songs featured on the album.

Here is Lyle Lovett's recording of the Steven Fromholz tune "Bears", which kicks off "Step Inside This House". While Lovett is well capable of having written many of these songs, I feel that "Bears" is one that hits closest to some of Lovett's own material. It's a great fit of song to artist, and that just makes me smile. Listen well to the sweet riffage played in the instrumental break!

Steven Fromholz

If the city of Austin, Texas is revered for helping birth the Country outlaw movement, it remains equally responsible for an attendant generation of raconteurs like Steven Fromholz, whose craft and catalog might not arrive as celebrated as those of Ray Wylie Hubbard, Guy Clark or Townes Van Zandt, but which carved out the songwriting mythology of Texas just as much as the likes of Willie Nelson and Billy Joe Shaver.

Another marker of success that not many musicians can claim is a legacy. Fromholz spent decades toiling away in Texas cafes and bars, and in his songwriting notebooks, and his work made an impression on a younger generation of songwriters. Between albums that didn't get released, albums that did get released but didn't go anywhere, and a tour with Stephen Stills that soured him, Fromholz nonetheless managed to write a classic or three. At least one of them has been widely heard by the public. Willie Nelson took "I'd Have To Be Crazy" to #2 on the Country charts in 1976 and kept it there for several weeks. The others are classics to students of Texas songwriting, hungrily absorbed by a young Lyle Lovett, among others.

Fromholz and Lovett in 1998

Fromholz discussed those times in a 1998 interview related to "Step Inside This House". "While we were banging and booming in the mid-'70's; when we were all on the road all the time, and everybody was making lots of money and doing crazy things, Lyle and Robert Earl Keen and that age group of people were listening to what we were doing and paying attention and learning their craft and their trade as songwriters and entertainers, just as I learned mine from watching Tom Paxton and The Kingston Trio and all that stuff when I was a kid. Those were the songs I learned."

"The songs Robert Earl and Lyle learned were my songs, and Guy Clark songs and Townes Van Zandt songs and Michael Murphey songs; the songs that Lyle has now recorded. It's a very logical progression for singer-songwriters of our ilk, and I think they learned a lot from us, as we learned from the guys who preceded us."

"Lyle told me when he came to town in May to have our picture taken for the album's artwork, he says, 'Steven, I didn't have to learn any of these songs for this album. I've been doing them since I began to learn to play.' I knew he was doing 'Bears' on the road in his show some time ago. Then I started hearing rumors that Lyle had also cut 'Texas Trilogy.'" Indeed, Lovett had recorded Steven's locally legendary 10 minute suite for "Step Inside This House", along with "Bears", as a tribute to the songwriting treasures he felt that Fromholz had bestowed upon Texas, and its musical legacy.

From the 1976 Capitol album, "A Rumor In My Own Time", here's the original version of "Bears".

Happy Trails, Cowboy!

In addition to singing and songwriting, Steven Fromholz dabbled in acting, playwriting, poetry, record producing, narrating, jingle writing, and whitewater river guiding. Fromholz suffered a stroke in 2003, but had largely recovered by 2007, when he was named Poet Laureate of the State of Texas by the Texas State Legislature.

On January 19, 2014, Steven Fromholz died from an accident with an unsecured firearm. A brief statement from his family said: "The accident involved the unexpected discharge of his shotgun when it fell from its case and struck the ground as he prepared for an afternoon hunt to address a feral hog infestation that had been menacing the goat population in Schleicher County. Steven died being a rancher, an avocation he heartily embraced." Steven Fromholz was 68.

As is often true when it comes to Americana and Roots music, it's difficult to find releases of any quality stateside, if at all, but the import labels are all over it. For about $25, you can get this fine Australian anthology of the music of Steven Fromholz, on the Raven label. Most, if not all of Fromholz' recordings are long out of print. I would advise trying to find them outside the state of Texas, unless you want ready availability and aren't concerned with price.

All of the fine recordings made by Lyle Lovett are available online, or at an emporium of musical entertainment near you. I would recommend any of them to anyone, including his 1986 debut album which, despite being the victim of dated production, has some fabulous songs on it. It's clear they had no idea of what to do with him yet. As of this writing, today's featured album, "Step Inside This House" may well be going out of print, as online pricing for a new copy seems high, but it is available used for a much more reasonable fee. Oddly, there is a near-total absence of Lyle's music on vinyl, with the exception of his most recent album, "Release Me". Mobile Fidelity, are you listening?

Most any of Lyle's recordings are of a level of quality that make them very suitable to bring along with you, should you find yourself in the market for high-end stereo equipment, like speakers. Yes, they're that good. And again, should you find that he is playing a concert in your town, then by all means, attend, and prepare to be mesmerized.

You Bowed Down

Don't you just hate it when a really good album is released by a long-missing name artist, and by all rationale, it should have been a huge success, but instead, it sinks like a stone shortly after release? In some cases, it can be justified if the album is an insincere, half-hearted effort and all it has going for it is the artists' name. But if it's really good, then it can be a rotten shame. Music reviewers can recommend all they want, but sometimes they need to reach out from the page, take their readers by the scruff and forcefully say "Do not overlook this!".

Such was the case with "Back From Rio" by Roger McGuinn, whom you will remember from his tenure with The Byrds. The album was released by Arista in January 1991, more than a decade after McGuinn's previous solo album for Columbia, "Thunderbyrd". The fact that it was issued soon following the 1990 release of the first Byrds box set by Columbia is no small coincidence, but in fact, McGuinn had been working on "Back From Rio" for some time. The album had everything going for it that you might think of. Stellar production, ample guest performers, excellent songwriting and some potential hit singles.

The alternate cover art for Europe.

So, what happened? My best guess is that by 1991, the sound of Seattle had tidal-waved many other Rock stylings, just as Punk and New Wave had done a decade and a half before. (Pop-Metal bands like Poison were among Grunge's first casualties.) McGuinn's album, despite all it had going for it, and being generally well received by music critics, drowned in a sea of flannel after it peaked at #44 on the Billboard 200 album chart.

Regarding the album title; it's sort of an inside joke. When Jim McGuinn formally changed his name to Roger back in '67 during a period of chaos surrounding The Byrds, there were those who thought it was an elaborate hoax. The idea was that Jim had taken off to Rio de Janiero and had been replaced by his lookalike brother; providing snackable fodder for the Paul-Is-Dead theorists. This is explored further in the song "Car Phone", which refers to 'Jim' McGuinn's return from Rio near the song's end, along with a brief, sly quote from "A Day In The Life", and the US cover art itself, which simply says "McGuinn", and specifies neither Roger nor Jim. So there's all that to consider.

Among the many guest musicians on the album, a few were songwriting contributors. Those include Jules Shear, Tom Petty, Mike Campbell, Dave Stewart, and Elvis Costello, whose song we are highlighting today. "You Bowed Down" has all the instrumental requirements for a Roger McGuinn recording; so much so that it very well could have been custom written for McGuinn. Was it? You be the judge. Here's "You Bowed Down" as released on "Back From Rio".

Contrary to the relatively smooth production process that McGuinn had with "Back From Rio", it appears that Elvis Costello had nearly the opposite experience. Costello's recording of "You Bowed Down" did not surface until the 1996 release of "All This Useless Beauty", which was originally conceived as a two-disc set of songs he'd written for other artists, to be entitled "A Case For Song", with backing by a diverse group of musicians. Instead, Costello tossed that idea, hired The Attractions for what would be the last time, and recorded the songs at Windmill Lane Studios in Dublin and Westside Studios in London with Beatles veteran Geoff Emerick producing. The title of "All This Useless Beauty" is a sarcastic reference to what Costello thought would be the fate of the album, which was the last group of new songs he would deliver under his contract with Warner Brothers.

Elvis Costello (r) with musical advisor.

On the 2001 reissue of "All This Useless Beauty" on the Rhino label, there is a 2nd disc included that contains a whopping 17 bonus tracks! Among them is a 1990 demo recording of "You Bowed Down", which clearly demonstrates the songs intent for Roger McGuinn by featuring a prominent 12 string lead line, but also a startlingly higher pitched vocal track; likely done by slowing the recording speed of the tape. On Costello's remake for the album, overseen by Geoff Emerick, that was corrected with a redone vocal, although the bridge section remains arrhythmic and clumsy. This second flaw had been smoothed over by McGuinn, and I find it interesting that Elvis didn't take Roger's lead on tweaking that section, and also some slightly rushed vocal phrasing. But when you're the songwriter, you can do as you please. Here's EC's final version of "You Bowed Down".

While you're listening, I think you'll find the lyric interesting to read. There appears to be some overt references to McGuinn's long absence from the music scene, as well as vague commentary on the demise of The Byrds, and a sharp poke in the third verse, possibly directed at sycophantic hangers-on and overly reverential Dylan fans; both of those being subjects of tiring annoyance for McGuinn. I can't confirm whether McGuinn and Costello met to discuss the song or not, but based on the story line, I would think they did. But my guesses may be completely off base. So again, you be the judge and make whatever you will of things. If nothing else, it reaffirms my humble opinion of Elvis Costello as one of most insightful and intelligent lyricists of the last few decades.

I expect you're entitled to know why I'm making contact

With acquaintances scattered all over the land
I'd promise you now and again that I'd honor the contract
If it hadn't crumbled away in my hand
So we broke that vow, independently now
But I don't know why, you absolutely deny
You bowed down (you bowed down, you bowed down)

When you first looked away I might say it was really a kindness
It must have hurt you to see how dreams sour
Now they say that justice and love are the next things to blindness
Well you're getting plenty of both of them now
And so you parade where appointments are made
And never meant to be kept, unless you accept
You bowed down (you bowed down, you bowed down)

You value the burnt amber of falling leaves
And you long to delay
As you feel their breath as they whisper
"It won't hurt you now to betray
If you just bow down"

And now every time that we meet on the edge of hysteria
You're helping them sell off some new party line
I remember a time when you would have seemed so superior
Now you say "Will you please meet this good friend of mine?"
So you're in demand as long as you kiss their hand
But all the applause, is for their name not yours

You bowed down (you bowed down, you bowed down)
You bowed down (you bowed down, you bowed down)

"You Bowed Down" as written by Elvis Costello. Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

As you might suspect, you can find a wealth of music by Elvis Costello at Amazon, or your favorite local merchant of musical wonderment. "All This Useless Beauty" is best available as part of a 5 disc mini box set, which contains EC's 5 albums for Warners for under $13. They're all straight reissues with no bonus material though, so if you're craving those deluxe editions, be advised that above-mentioned Rhino 2-disc issues from the early 2000's are all out of print and have skyrocketed in resale value.

Also, there's lots of good stuff from Roger McGuinn that's available at The Big A. You can, and should, grab a copy of "Back From Rio" due to its inexcusably cheap price for a brand new one. That, and the irrefutable fact that it's one of the very best albums by any 60's Rock legend, ever.

Changes

Heh!

Some years back, I heard a recording of Henry Rollins discussing how inappropriate and insufficient it was that the folks in charge of weather media had bestowed the unseemly name of "El Nino" on particular weather patterns occurring in the South Pacific. Rollins was appalled; citing the Spanish translation of the phrase ("little boy"), and noting that while a small child is certainly capable of some measure of destruction around a household, it wasn't even close to describing the violent weather being caused. Rollins felt the name didn't measure up to the result and also didn't make sense to the public. So, Rollins suggested an alternative. How about referring to this weather with a name that is more fitting? Something that evokes the inherent noise, fear and annihilation left in its wake. How about naming it "The First 3 Black Sabbath Albums"? The headlines would certainly make a lot more sense. "Santa Monica Pier demolished by The First 3 Black Sabbath Albums!!" Great idea, Henry, but it didn't fly.

Black Sabbath: Mark I, in the early 70's.

I recall that my first listen to Black Sabbath was their first album, with its hair-raising title track and seriously spooky cover photo. Like many great Rock albums, there was absolutely nothing else that sounded like it, either before or since. Those fabled first 3 albums from Sabbath had a unique and consistent sound. But by the time of their 4th album, things were shifting. The band had toured quite a bit by then, and the both-ends-burning challenges of the 'write, record, tour' cycle were starting to take a toll on the band members' health and creativity, which was compounded by expensive and dangerous recreational choices; some of which are now the stuff of Rock legend.

"I'm going through... mountains of cocaine!"

All four band members have since been quite candid about their heavy use of cocaine during the making of "Vol. 4". The song "Snowblind" is perhaps the band's most blatant ode to the drug. "Snowblind" was also the album's working title, but record company executives were reluctant to release an album with such an obvious drug reference for a title. As bassist Geezer Butler told Guitar World magazine in 2001, "Yeah, the cocaine had set in. We went out to L.A. and got into a totally different lifestyle. Half the budget went on the coke and the other half went to seeing how long we could stay in the studio. We rented a house in Bel-Air and the debauchery up there was just unbelievable." In the same interview, drummer Bill Ward said, "Vol. 4 is a great album, but listening to it now, I can see it was a turning point for me; where the alcohol and drugs stopped being fun."

The only track from the album to receive any significant FM Rock radio airplay is the one that provides the longest leap from the tried and true Sabbath formula. "Changes" was composed by guitarist Tony Iommi, as an experiment, and was written on a piano that happened to be at their rented Bel-Air house. "Changes" is a ballad inspired mainly by Bill Ward's ongoing breakup with his first wife. The lyrics were composed by bassist Geezer Butler, and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne has referred to the song as "heartbreaking". The song was quite different from Black Sabbath's previous efforts, yet is one that is still very well received at Ozzy's live shows.

Here's Black Sabbath with "Changes" from "Vol. 4".

One thing that was made clear by the positive response to the recent Super Bowl halftime performance by Bruno Mars, is that people are craving "real" again. They've had about enough of musical junk food like sampling and autotuned vocals. Mars and his crackshot band not only brought it 100% live, but Mars also mixed in a few respectful nods to the pioneers of R&B, like Jackie Wilson, The Isleys and James Brown. Those who scoffed and said Mars was just copying those legends missed the point. Everything musical descends from what has come before, and to acknowledge that is not only properly respectful, but can serve to educate those who would listen.

Charles Bradley, leaving it ALL on the stage.

Which brings us to Mr. Charles Bradley. Most artists appreciate their audiences, and some are profoundly grateful for them. But few artists love their fans as much, and as sincerely, as Charles Bradley. By now, Bradley’s remarkable, against-all-odds rise has been well-documented; how he transcended a bleak life on the streets and struggled through a series of ill-fitting jobs, most famously as a James Brown impersonator at Brooklyn clubs, before finally being discovered by Gabe Roth of New York's Daptone Records. Daptone, known for their authentically gritty R&B/Soul sound, is currently working on taking Charles into the kind of Psychedelic Soul territory that Motown producer Norman Whitfield explored with The Temptations in the early '70s. "People are not going to expect this. There's a lot of psychedelic influences on this record, and a lot of fuzz guitar." notes Thomas Brenneck of Menahan Street Band, Bradley's producer, bandleader and co-writer. It's due out in April and I can't wait to hear it!

Tell me this isn't the BADDEST gig poster, ever!

Of course, the concert stage is the best way to experience any performer, especially one who specializes in high wattage, old school Soul, and a Charles Bradley performance is a must. I've not seen him perform yet, and I certainly will at the first opportunity, but one good friend of this blog has. Paul Bertolino, a musician who lives in New York, has seen Bradley perform, and has also met him on several occasions. Paul very graciously sent me the following vivid description of Bradley's electric performances.

Regarding Bradley's triumphant appearance at the famed Apollo Theater, Paul told me, "I've seen him many times and he always gives 100%, but he was pushing especially hard that night. It was a huge dream-come-true show for him, as he’d first had the notion to perform when he saw James Brown there as a kid. Now, after years of slogging around as a James Brown tribute act, he was at last headlining the Apollo as himself; as Charles Bradley. It was a big, BIG night for him; struttin’ across the stage, dropping to his knees, and screaming like the eagle that he is."

Today's contributing guest writer, Paul Bertolino!

"As great as the Apollo show was, my favorite Bradley shows have been at smaller venues like 'Pianos' on the Lower East Side of Manhattan and the now defunct 'Southpaw' in Brooklyn. It's at shows like this, where you are directly in the line of fire for a splatter of sweat straight from Bradley's brow, that his heart and soul really comes across. The passion, pain and love in his eyes. That feeling of being in the presence of a God-like figure, that we haven’t gotten from a performer since the classic days of Charles' own generation, combined with a Brian Wilson-ish childlike innocence. Once offstage, he’s utterly spent and probably just wants to go home and go to bed, but he's always extremely warm, personable and appreciative when you speak with him, even in that state." This last statement of Paul's is clearly describing a man who is abundantly grateful for those who appreciate his music, and knows well where he came from. Those are qualities that make a man well deserving of his hard fought success, and worthy of fan support.

As a special release for Record Store Day last November, Daptone subsidiary label Dunham Records released a double A-side 45 of Charles Bradley, backed by the mighty Budos Band, performing a mercilessly soulful version of Black Sabbath's ballad "Changes". (The other A-side features Dirt Rifle and The Bullets and their smokin' original track, "Ain't It A Shame".) The groove is adjusted quite a bit and feels a lot better, but beware; when those horns kick in for the chorus... well, that's what real deal Soul feels like. I'm sure The Sabs are plenty happy with this rendition.



Kool Kovers offers profound appreciation to Mr. Paul Bertolino for his excellent contribution to this week's feature. Paul has written and performed some amazing music of his own that you can listen to and purchase at Bandcamp. We will highly recommend Paul's most recent album, "Where The Buildings Hit The Sky". This brilliant album is a tastefully written and beautifully produced paean to the city, featuring truly original music that not only wears its Classic Pop influences proudly, but is unafraid to push the boundaries of where those sounds can go. This is ear candy for your headphones. Just go buy it, you'll love it. You can also find Paul's very Kool Kover of Firefall's hit, "Just Remember I Love You" on the fantastic tribute album, "Drink A Toast To Innocence: A Tribute To Lite Rock".

The powerful Soul music of Charles Bradley can be found at Amazon, his official website, and from most any independent purveyor of recorded musical excellence. There's also a documentary film about him entitled "Soul Of America", that you will want to run out and get after watching this smokin' hot trailer. If that doesn't give you a good enough picture of this man's abundant soulfulness, I don't know what will.

And lest we forget, the denture-loosening, heavy metal thunder of Black Sabbath has been remastered as well as possible for enjoyment by you and your neighbors. If you enjoy classic Metal, then those first 3 albums are inarguably essential. You could easily include the next 3, which are "Vol. 4", "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath", and "Sabotage", and call that a collection. Things fell off quite a bit after that. If an anthology will do, then you want this one, but be advised that it's out of print and the price is rising. It's much cheaper to get the individual albums.

Love Is The Seventh Wave

The Mobile Fidelity Gold edition from 1990. $30 then; way spendy now.

In 1985, when Sting debuted his solo career, the public's memory of The Police was still rather vivid. After all, the band had sold millions of records and their worldwide tours were a consistent hot ticket, so a lot was riding on how well Sting could deliver. A radical change in musical style would be unnecessarily risky, but on his debut solo album, "Dream Of The Blue Turtles", Sting still managed to up his musical game while keeping it palatable for radio. No small feat for anyone, never mind a name artist in a sink or swim situation.

Based on several accounts, Sting was, by this time, more than ready to roll with doing things his own way. As talented as Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland were, Sting was feeling limited in what could be done; not the least of that being the trio format of The Police. There was also plenty of personal drama going on within the Police camp that would have been enough to bring almost any band to a grinding creative halt. Perhaps some of that was traceable to Sting's insufferable trademark chant of "E-Yo-Ohh" (or some variant thereof), that seemed to be the lyrical foundation of 7 out of 10 Police tunes. At any rate, all of this is covered rather thoroughly in the excellent musical video, "Bring On The Night", that briefly mentions the end of The Police, but is much more about documenting the formation of Sting's new band, which was a top flight assemblage by any musical standard. In retrospect, he was lucky to have secured the services of high caliber musicians like bassist Daryl Jones, drummer Omar Hakim, pianist Kenny Kirkland, and sax man Branford Marsalis. It would be difficult at best to assemble that band now, although to be sure, Sting has done well with sidemen over the years, attracting world class talents like David Sancious on keyboard and guitar, and one of the world's finest drummers, Vinnie Colaiuta, to augment his music.

From Sting's solo debut, here is "Love Is The Seventh Wave". I know nothing at all about the first six.

 

As a fun side note, Sting says in the video that he never believed he had 'made it' as a musician, until one night, while staying in a Paris hotel, he heard some familiar whistling outside his hotel room window, coming from the street below. It was a Parisian street sweeper, biding his time by whistling the melody to "Walking On The Moon". That serendipitous moment was enough to convince him that his music had reached the public at large and was quite a source of pride for him. I'd be happy about that too.

One indisputable fact about acoustic music is that it has a unique way of exposing a song for its true worth. By employing as simple an arrangement as possible, a song will either soar or collapse, depending on the need for electric augmentation and having the foundational stability for being tweaked a bit. But if you start with a solid lyric and a catchy, rhythmic riff, the adaptation will almost always work.

The 2nd album from The Duhks, now available very affordably.

Today's featured artist, The Duhks (pronounced 'ducks'), are a Canadian Folk-Fusion band, formed in 2002 in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The name and spelling of "Duhks" comes from "Scruj MacDuhk", a defunct previous version of the band named as a nod to a Disney character. The Duhks play a blend of Canadian and American Soul, Gospel, Folk, Brazilian Samba, Old School Country, Cajun Zydeco, and Irish dance music. Despite several changes in the band lineup through the years, they've always retained four central elements: vocals, guitar, banjo, and fiddle. The band sings primarily in English, but all of the band's past and current singers have also sung frequently in French, and performed at least one song in Portuguese.

The Duhks' first album, "Your Daughters & Your Sons" from 2003, was nominated for a Juno award, leading to a contract with Sugar Hill Records. A new Latin-influenced percussionist, Scott Senior, then joined the band. The Duhks' eponymous second album, where you'll find today's featured song as an album-ending bonus track, was released by Sugar Hill in 2005. The album was produced by Béla Fleck, and it won a Juno award for Best Roots & Traditional Album by a Group. Later, another song entitled "Heaven's My Home", from their third album, "Migrations", which was produced by Tim O'Brien, was nominated for the 2007 Grammy award for Best Country Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal. So, on occasion, the Grammys get things right, it seems. At least with their nominations.

Here are The Duhks, laying the acoustic whammy on Sting's "Love Is The Seventh Wave". It brings the song a whole new level of clarity without all that mucky 80's production in the way, wouldn't you say?

Music from The Duhks can be found at Amazon, or in the Folk section of your local indie music emporium. They may have a stray used copy as well, so that's worth a look. You can find current tour dates for The Duhks on their website, along with a few live performance videos.

While the man called Sting has amassed quite a catalog of music over the last nearly 4 decades, I feel he's taken quite a somber turn during the last several years, especially with that deeply depressing 'Winter' album from 2009. Maybe living in Europe for too long has vacuumed the joy right out of him. Nonetheless, he's written plenty of great stuff in years prior and all of it is available at Amazon and most record shops. If all you want is a decent single disc 'Best Of", then "Fields Of Gold" is the ticket. Also, if you've never bothered to replace your battered Police cd's from the 80's, then it might be time for you to pop for the box set, which is affordable, decently mastered, and contains everything the band released, including rare singles and B-sides, all in one tidy, book-shaped package.