These days, Sturgill Simpson  can't seem to get too much praise.  A Sailor's Guide to Earth has been getting rave reviews, Simpson's October show at Kings Theatre in Brooklyn is already sold out.  I was lucky enough to see him at the Beacon Theater last September.  Here are my impressions.  I personally loved Sailor's Guide to Earth - this is my review.  I've seen a few writers express dismay over the new album.  Some people feel Simpson has strayed from his country roots.  I disagree. First and foremost, Simpson writes and sings about the experiences he's lived.  Kentucky roots, Navy time and struggles with drugs and alcohol all make Simpson the weathered individual that he is.  He has a grit and authenticity that can't be replicated by a guy in Williamsburg with a banjo and a neck beard.  Simpson isn't afraid to cross genre lines, and that's a quality to be admired.

I want to keep the focus here on music rather than politics, but I feel it's important to acknowledge the tragedy and strife dividing our country right now.  Hearing the news lately has got me listening to Gil-Scott Heron for the first time in years.  Heron combined scathing political satire and raw heartfelt honesty like no other artist.  His music was a heady mix of jazz, funk and spoken word - he's often called the grandfather of hip-hop.  Herron has such an immense body of work that it can be hard to know where to start listening.  Here are a few suggestions.

The proto-rap of "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised," with an infectious bass line from legend Ron Carter, is synonymous with sixties counterculture rage.  Winter In America is a somber meditation on early 70's malaise.  While the election of Reagan had many claiming it was "Morning in America," Heron offers a different perspective on Reflections.  "Gun" and a searing cover of "Inner City Blues" take on new meaning in the Summer of 2016.  Regrettably, Heron's incisive voice was silenced when he passed away in 2011.  For anyone unfamiliar with his work, there's never been a better time to discover Gil-Scott Heron.

I'd like to pay tribute to writer and music historian Rickey Vincent, especially his 1996 book Funk.  Before I read Vincent's book, I was a blues and jazz snob.  Funk got me listening to Gil Scot-Heron, Marvin Gaye, Parlaiment/Funkadelic and Stevie Wonder.  What I enjoyed most was Vincent's ability to draw connections between music and the larger social and political climate.  Back in the days before I-Tunes or Spotify, the book's exhaustive discography was invaluable.  Funk is still in print - it deserves a place on the bookshelf of any serious music fan.  Vincent's radio show, The History of Funk, is available to all thanks to the internet.

There are a few great songs that mention the Fourth of July, but Almost Independence Day by Van Morrison is my favorite.  The fact that I spent much of the 90's in San Francisco may have something to do with it.  That droning Moog synthesizer behind the guitar and vocals is meant to emulate the sound of a foghorn.  July was one of the foggiest months of the year over there - Mark Twain famously remarked, "The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco."  There were always fireworks on the Fourth, but it was too foggy to see anything more than flashes of color.  Van's guitar and the Moog synthesizer capture the aural mix of foghorns and distant firework shells that I remember so well.  The San Francisco I remember - KFOG on the radio, movies at the Red Vic on Haight Street, renting VHS tapes at Le Video - doesn't exist anymore.  But I still like to listen to this song and remember how it was back then.

In the post Stevie Ray era, it's easy to forget that the blues is about more than just instrumental prowess.  Heartfelt songwriting and passionate vocals are an essential part of the music.  Lisa Mann has a trumpet of a voice and her lyrics show she's earned her degree from the school of hard knocks. Hard Times Bad Decisions is one of the best new blues albums I've heard in a while.  I'm hoping I get a chance to catch Lisa Mann and her razor sharp band live some time......

Samantha Fish is a great guitarist and powerful singer.  Her energetic blend of rock and blues proves that rock and roll swagger isn't just a boy's game.  She's a dynamo live - here's my review of a recent performance.  It's published in Elmore Magazine.