Monday's Song

Monday! Some say it's the worst day of the week. Ok, it's a rough day but it can be better with some music. 

So today, the last day of January, look at the mirror, smile to yourself and sing: “Monday morning, you sure look fine.” 

Fleetwood Mac - Monday Morning [from "Fleetwood Mac" - 1975]

Wilco - Monday [from "Being There" - 1996]

 

 

 

 

Sunday Listening #08 with Three Black & Beautiful Ladies

 

LaVern Baker (1929 – 1997), Ruth Brown ( 1928 – 2006) and Etta James (1938 – 2012) were black and beautiful ladies of Rhytm & Blues music scene and this Sunday is to remember them with the last albums they released.

LaVern Baker - Woke Up This Mornin' [1992]

Credible comeback effort that spotlights Baker's still-seductive pipes on a program of mostly familiar standards -- everything from the straightahead blues "Rock Me Baby" to the Stax-era "Knock on Wood" and "I Can't Turn You Loose" to the Bee Gees' "To Love Somebody" and Carole King's sappy "You've Got a Friend." Supple backing by a cadre of New York session aces -- guitarist Cornell Dupree, drummer Bernard Purdie, keyboardist Paul Griffin, bassist Chuck Rainey -- adds the proper grooves for each. 

[allmusic.com, review by Bill Dahl]

 

 

 

Ruth Brown - Good Day for the Blues [1998]

At age 70, Ruth Brown was still in full command of her powers when she cut this beaut of an album in 1998. Fueled by an all-star band featuring Duke Robillard on guitar and New Orleans session stalwarts like James Singleton on bass, keyboardist Davell Crawford, alto saxophonist Ray Moore, and a core group that also serves as her touring outfit, this record was cut live with all the musicians (including a full horn section) playing at once with no overdubs, a throwback to her recording modus operandi at Atlantic back in the 1950s. The songs are first-rate, featuring new compositions, torchy ballads, riotous spoken word fables and solid rhythm numbers, all expertly played and sung. Far from being on the downhill side of things, Brown demonstrated that there was still plenty of gas left in the tank when she cut this one. [allmusic.com, review by Cub Koda]

Etta James - The Dreamer  [2011]

Apparently, Etta James' musical career ends with The Dreamer. The legendary vocalist announced a few months back that this would be her final album; she's retiring from music in order to deal with serious medical issues. The Dreamer's 11 tracks offer an imperfect but utterly worthy portrait of the places she's been musically, with a couple of selections that reveal her dictum that "every song is a blues." Her signature meld of soul, blues, rhythm & blues, rock, and country are all on display here. ... The Dreamer is a fitting - if not perfect - bookend to one of American popular music's most iconic lives.  

[allmusic.com, review by Thom Jurek]

 

 

 

All of them have released a lot of good albums but here you can check their "last", for your listening pleasure!!