Malcolm Gauld
The “Fresh Songs for a Stale Quarantine” playlist has grown to over 100 songs. All you gotta do is access it on Spotify, click “Shuffle,” and chill… Or… If you’ve already been doing that, go right to the latest entries:
“St. Augustine at Night” by Dawes – Off Good Luck With Whatever. “The cherry gum would cover up the cigarettes we smoked; the 7-Up would balance out the beer.”
“Do You Believe?” by P.J. Morton (and Yolanda Adams) – Off Gospel According to PJ. Maroon 5 keyboardist brings some church in homage to his childhood roots as the son of a preacher man. Love this!
“End of Time” by Jessie Wagner – Off the forthcoming Shoes Droppin. Knew this was a keeper from the first 20 seconds. Keep an eye on her.
“Hard Times Come Again No More” by Arlo Guthrie & Jim Wilson (w/Vanessa Bryan). Arlo… Talk about sticking with it! A beautiful song for our unique times. “There’s a song that will linger forever in our ears.”
“Funny How Times Slips Away” by Elvis Presley – Off From Elvis in Nashville. The King has been parodied so much that way too many people do not know or appreciate his gifts. Last year, I got all into his gospel stuff. This number shows he can own a classic from any genre.
“Down the Road Tonight (Alone Together Sessions) by Hayes Carll. From Down the Road Tonight – “We all goin’ down the road tonight!”
“Singing Brings Us Closer” by The Blind Boys of Alabama. Off Almost Home – New tunes from a national treasure. “I remember when my mother used to sing. Oh, the joy her voice could bring.”
“Be of Good Heart” by Josh Ritter – Off See Here, I Have Built You a Mansion (Rare and Unreleased). “So, if you’ve really gotta go, be of good heart ever more.”
“Charlie Patton Highway (Turn It Up, Pt. 1) by Robert Plant – Off the forthcoming Digging Deep: Subterranean. Led Zep front man delivers homage to “The Father of the Delta Blues.”
“Scarlet – The War on Drugs Remix” by The Rolling Stones, Jimmy Page, and The War on Drugs – Off the 2020 reissue of the Goats Head Soup (1973). Not to be outdone by Messr. Plant, Led Zep guitarist Page was hanging with Keef back in 1973 and jammed on this song which was never released until now. (It’s named after Page’s daughter.) Nearly a half-century later, The War on Drugs, whose members had not yet been born in 1973, was added to the mix. No, they ain’t makin’ records like they used to. (And Yes, today’s Hyde kid would indeed ask, “What’s a record?”)
“Misty” by Erroll Garner. Off Gemini (2020 reissue of the 1972 album) – This is the music that played in my home as a kid. If you like it, check out his classic Concert by the Sea (1955). Erroll Garner (1923-77).
“__________” by Tomoya Harada – Off Candle Lights (2019) Stumbled across this beautiful voice only to learn that she was an 80s Japanese movie star. The song title is blank because it’s listed in Japanese and I cannot produce the symbols on my laptop. The lyrics, however, are in English. “Still, my heart would benefit from a little tenderness from time to time, but never mind, cause baby I’m a fool who thinks it’s cool to fall in love.”
“Five More Minutes” by The War and Treaty. Off the forthcoming Hearts Town. I cannot resist a band whose website describes as “Just two lovebirds singing without reverb.” Glad I checked for myself as this duo may have delivered the song of this bunch.
“Ford Econoline” by Chuck Prophet. Off Night Surfer (2014). You may have noticed that I’ve become a huge fan of this guy. “She pulled over, said ‘Climb on in.’ I did what she said. She turned the music up real loud. It was The Talking Heads.”
“How Long” by Iris Dement – One of our greatest singer/songwriters channels one our greatest leaders and asks a question for our time: “Someone asked a question once of Martin Luther King. How long do you stay the course. And dream the dream?”
How long, indeed! Now more than ever. Onward, Malcolm Gauld
