New album: Driven
Artist: The Lost Patrol
Label: LP Records
Rating: 5 stars out of 5
New York’s goth-pop overlords return with “Driven,” their ninth and greatest album to date.
The band hits the ground running with “Spinning,” a thick and dreamy noir-scape in the great Lost Patrol tradition. Mollie Israel’s smooth, epic vocals are the perfect tonic for Michael Williams’ dusty acoustic beds and Stephen Massucci’s twisted string work. “Spinning” is as catchy as the common cold but dark enough to warrant repeated spins.
While there is an abundance of material on “Driven” that qualifies as classic Lost Patrol (“All Tomorrow’s Promises,” “Chance of Rain”), what nudges this album into the superb category are the curve balls.
“Little Black Kitten” is a sinister walk into Stray Cats territory, replete with stand-up bass and Stylophone. “See You in Hell” is the best chick-based revenge song since Blondie’s “Rip Her to Shreds,” while the largely instrumental “There and Back” should end up being the theme to an IFC original series about jewel thieves in Ibiza.
As if there weren’t enough groovy sounds swirling around this album already, “Just Go” rears its jazzy, Billie Holiday-esque head. With audacious piano from guest Rob Schwimmer and Israel’s sultry vocal, “Just Go” could have been slipped into night one of Ken Burns’ jazz documentary without raising an eyebrow. Album closer “Disguise” puts a bow on everything with goose-bump guitar and sweet but melancholic vocals.
“Driven” is the perfect gateway drug into the world of The Lost Patrol and a welcome fix for those already hooked.
Also recommended: “The Voice of Love” by Julee Cruise
Classic album: Hold On, I’m Comin’
Artist: Sam and Dave
Label: Atlantic
Rating: 5 stars out of 5
With the exception of the output generated by the Daptone label in recent years, no entity has come to within a mile of matching the funk and soul of Stax Records.
After five years on the chitlin’ circuit, Sam and Dave were signed to Atlantic Records in 1965. In a genius move, someone at Atlantic Records sent Sam and Dave to Memphis to work with Stax. Under the guidance of Stax writers/producers Steve Cropper, Isaac Hayes and Dave Porter, Sam & Dave produced music that is still worshiped and danced to today.
Sam & Dave had already proven their mettle as a live act, so when they were paired up with the Stax house band Booker T. and The MGs (and their horn section — The Memphis Horns), it was a match made in heaven. The first lp to result from this union was “Hold On, I’m Comin’,” released in 1966.
The biggest single was the title track, which set the template for later Sam & Dave classics such as “Soul Man” and “Wrap It Up” — a funky backdrop, gospel call and response vocals and those glorious horn hooks that were no doubt an early influence on the band Chicago.
The “Hold On, I’m Comin’” single — reportedly inspired by a co-writer waiting for his partner to get out of the bathroom — would eventually be covered by everyone from Dexy’s Midnight Runners to Eric Clapton, but there was honestly no need for it. It’s the audio equivalent of redrawing the Mona Lisa in crayon.
Singles were still the order of the day in R&B music, but the entire “Hold On I’m Comin’” lp holds together remarkably well 40-plus years later. “I Take What I Want,” “Just Me” and “It’s a Wonder” feature some of the greatest Sam & Dave vocals ever recorded. “If You Got the Loving” should have been a massive hit single, if nothing else for the blistering guitar of Steve Cropper and Duck Dunn’s funkier-than-camel-breath bass work.
Sam & Dave greatest hits compilations are fantastic introductions to their great body of work, but there are too many hidden gems on their original lp releases to ignore. Anyone looking for vintage R&B from its golden age will not be disappointed in “Hold On I’m Comin’.”
Also recommended: “Time Is Tight” by Booker T. and The MGs.
Jon Dawson’s album reviews appear every Thursday in The Free Press. Contact Jon at 252-559-1092 or jon.dawson@kinston.com. Purchase books and music at jondawson.com.