By Wil Comstock
Music City Arts Contributing Writer
Thursday (Sept. 13):
Chuck swung by to me up at work, and we
headed to Salsas Cuban Restaurant on Palmer Place for the William Morris mixer.
They welcomed us with a fireball shot! We later sampled some delectable Cuban hors
d'oeuvres, washing them down with some local Yazoo beer. Yum!
We decided to walk over to City Winery
to catch their shows for the evening.
Shemekia
Copeland: One of the best woman blues artists alive! She treated us to
songs from her new album, "America’s Child." The title was inspired
by her hopes and dreams for her 2-year-old son. Producer Will Kimbrough joined Shemika and band for most of the set,
starting with the driving “Ain’t Got Time for Hate.” Two highlights for me were
“Would You Take My Blood?” sung to a racist that needs a blood transfusion, and
the Rolling Stones-like burner “In the Blood of the Blues.” Copeland lives
inside the lyrics: “I’m the jewel in the crown of the mighty kings of Africa...
I’m the hands on the shaft of the spear that the slew the lion... I’m in the
soul clinched wife of the man on the demon slave ship... I’m the fire in the
crack of the whip on the good man’s spine.”
Lord, have mercy... this woman can sing!
Guthrie
Trapp: Hands down the most innovative guitarist in Nashville. He has worked
with the greats from Garth Brooks to Earl Scruggs. He blew me away on Taj Mahal’s “Buck Dancers
Choice,” and his own compositions “Pick Peace” and “Patricia.” This guy is all over the neck of the guitar
sounding like two players instead of one. He is tasteful, precise and a lot of
fun to watch.
John
Oates: No introduction needed here. The last few years, John’s been playing
roots music and loving every minute of it. He is backed by a crackerjack band that
includes Guthrie Trapp. He started with the 1924 pop song “Anytime” by Emmett
Miller, a personal favorite of mine.
Oates then talked about ragtime and segued into Mississippi John Hurt’s
“Stack O Lee.” You can’t get any more Americana than that! John said he had
recently been to Bristol Tennessee where Jimmie Rodgers recorded his next
number, “Miss the Mississippi and You.” Don’t tell anyone, but I liked John’s
version better than the original! Favorites for me were the Oates-penned
“Arkansas” and “Edge of the World,” which reminded me of Steve Miller back in
the '70s. “Maneater” was originally
written in a reggae style. Daryl Hall changed it to a pop song, and the rest is
history. John played the original version, way too cool! He closed with a
rootsy version of “You Make My Dreams Come True.” The band and crowd alike
looked like they were thoroughly enjoying themselves. I know I did.
Amy
Helm: Daughter of the late legendary drummer from The Band, Levon Helm. Amy
stands on her own two feet somewhere between elevated rock and swamp gospel. Her
dynamic vocals on “Odetta” instantly made me a fan. I loved “Rescue Me” and the
title cut from her new album, “This Too Shall Light,” with it’s swinging groove
and spiritual overtones. The highlight for me was hearing T-Bone Burnett’s
“River of Love,” a song Burnett’s ex-wife Leslie Phillips recorded decades ago.
Amy’s guitarist was having some technical problems and didn’t get to play on
several numbers. Although he is integral to Helm’s style, her energetic voice
carried the songs beautifully. Amy, you are making your father proud.
Mountain
Heart: I convinced Chuck to stick around for a couple of Mountain Heart
songs. After all, we had met guitarist Seth
Taylor when we picked up our badges earlier in the week. I’m happy we
waited to hear them! On hearing the upbeat “Got No Complaints” and the
inspirational ballad “More Than I Am,” I an instant enthusiast for this
contemporary bluegrass band!
I’m pretty tired as I write this
review, but I wouldn’t have missed these shows for the world. I’m sure Mr.
Chuck Whiting is sleeping now with his cats snuggled beside him. Pleasant
Dreams.
(Story and photos by Music City Arts Contributing Writer Wil Comstock)
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