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The Jesus and Mary Chains
Tony Peyser
Mirror contributing writer
The title, —- Rock, Paper, Jesus —- caught my eye. The opening track,
“Orion’s Belt,” opened my eyes about what you can do with a song. The
guy in this couple is leaving a tip on a bar counter as his girl’s at
home microwaving a cup of coffee. What makes this unusual is he’s
Jesus and she’s Mary. Chicago-based singer-songwriter Mark Sheehy
isn’t hyping religion or bashing it. He’s simply placed these icons in
a modern setting and portrays them as a couple trying in a small way
to hold on to a big world. Sheehy’s third effort restored my faith in
smart rock and roll.
7740 Valmont St. is Cisco’s second album and first for veteran
producer Pete Anderson. It’s a postcard from a musical vagabond whose
wandering days are still vivid in his mind. You can smell the
cigarette smoke and see the dust and dreams floating by. Cisco’s
lived-in voice reminded me of early Rod Stewart but he’s an
All-American, rootsy troubadour with Italian ancestry and Northern
California roots. When Cisco serves up a line in “Dog Eared Memories”
about a girl who had “skin the color of mission bells,” he also
reveals he’s a poet of uncommon grace.
Another talented troubadour is Todd Snider who’s on like-minded John
Prine’s Oh Boy Records. Unlike Cisco, Snider has a goofball persona as
he addresses growing old, getting tossed in jail and Nashville.
Referencing that city is understandable since the album is called East
Nashville Skyline. The cheeky Snider wears his politics on both
sleeves with “Conservative Christian, Right Wing, Republican,
Straight, White, American Males.” Fans of alt-country hippie types put
their trust in Todd.
Touch My Heart: A Tribute To Johnny Paycheck reveals there was more to
this outlaw country wild man than his most famous single, which Teresa
Heinz Kerry must have liked: “Take This Job And Shove It.” Folks as
disparate as Buck Owens, Mavis Staples and Marshall Crenshaw show up
for the proceedings. I didn’t realize how deep the late Paycheck’s
song catalogue was. Dave Alvin juicily delivers the jailhouse saga “11
Months & 29 Days” and Neko Case belts out a classic with a title that
sums up Paycheck’s troubled life: “If I’m Gonna Sink (I Might As Well
Go To the Bottom).”
Tony Furtado has evolved from a banjo prodigy to slide guitar ace to
singer-songwriter. The churning title track on These Chains benefits
from his soaring slide work and soulful vocal. But on the instrumental
“Doc’s Bog,” Furtado’s playing is nothing short of jaw-dropping. This
is musical showmanship on a par with Cajun wizard Sonny Landreth, Bay
Area blues great Roy Rogers even dobro legend Jerry Douglas. However
he continues to evolve, Furtado will be someone to keep listening to.
Miles Of Music has Rock, Paper, Jesus for $11.49, 7740 Valmont St. for
$12.99, Touch My Heart for $14.99, East Nashville Skyline for $13.99
and These Chains for $14.99.
* The Goofy Band Name Of The Week is … Big Fat Steve Band. |
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