Now Hear This

Real Love – Lucinda Williams w/ Matthew Sweet & Susanna Hoffs

Lucinda’s ninth solo record charges out of the gate with a vengeance on this punked-up opening track.  Jim Lauderdale, Tim Easton, Charlie Louvin and Elvis Costello scatter guest vocals throughout this fine follow up to last year’s incredible West. Little Honey is out this Tuesday but if you pre-order through Amazon before then you get a bonus mp3 of the as yet unreleased “Bone of Contention” for free! The Devine Ms. Williams plays the Fillmore on November 16 & 17. More tour dates here.

Seven Year Blues – Charlie Haden & The Haden Triplets

Only blood relations can harmonize like that! So let me get this straight: one of the greatest jazz bassists of the last half century spent his early childhood in a vocal group led by his mother and father (and included all his siblings) that hosted a Grand Ole Opry-like variety show called Korn’s-A-Krackin (sic). I had no f-ing idea. His wife, triplet daughters and son are joined by guests like Pat Metheny, Rosanne Cash, Vince Gill, Bruce Hornsby (who does his best to ruin Petra Haden’s lead vocal turn), Stuart Duncan, Jerry Douglas, Sam Bush, Ricky Skaggs, Elvis Costello and Jack Black (married to his daughter Tanya). And you already know how much I dig Petra Haden! Family & Friends – Rambling Boy is available now on Decca Records.

Middle Management – Bishop Allen

One of the “get it here only” tracks (along with new tunes from Vampire Weekend & Army Navy) off the soundtrack to yet another hipster movie I haven’t seen yet. This song leaps out of the speakers and keeps my toes tapping. If you dig it too check out their full length The Broken String, one of my favorite records from last year. These merry Brooklynites pull into the Independent in SF November 12. More music and tour dates on their myspace page.