here they are:
"Duquesne Whistle" by Bob Dylan: Bob Dylan was a master at blending the acoustic guitars and storytelling aspects of folk music with the driving beat of rock music in the 1960's and '70s. After that, he seemed to have dropped off the face of the Earth for about 20 years, and once the 21st century came around, Dylan found a new genre to blend rock 'n' roll with - the blues (makes sense considering that the blues was a dominant influence on rock music). The swingin' "Someday Baby" and the almost Latin-tinged "Beyond Here Lies Nothin'" are among Dylan's blues-y gems from within the past 10 years, and it looks like his latest song, "Duquesne Whistle" (pronounced DOO-kain) is about to join the ranks of those songs! There seems to be a bit of jazz and shuffle influence in "Duquesne Whistle" as well. "Listen to that Duquesne whistle blowin'", Dylan creakily croons during the song's refrain. We hear the whistle blowin', Bob. The whistle of creativity, that is!!
"The Way It Is" by The Sheepdogs: The Sheepdogs made the cover of a "Rolling Stone" issue back when they were barely known, about a couple months ago from what I recall. I can see why people wanted them on the cover, though, since their debut single, "The Way It Is" proves the 'Dogs to be Canada's answer to The Black Keys!! Their sound is just a couple notches heavier than The Keys, actually, recalling the juicy hard rock of Led Zeppelin at certain times. The lyrics are a bit repetitive ("Everything's the way it is, that's got to be the way it is"), but The Sheepdogs aren't a band whose main focus is writing songs. Their main goal is getting people to rock out like it's 1971 all over again, and they do a mighty fine job at it, I must say!!
"We're Alright Now" by John Hiatt: John Hiatt could be called the male Bonnie Raitt (Bonnie even covered Hiatt's song "Thing Called Love" on her breakthrough record, "Nick of Time"). Like Bonnie, John spent much of the '70s, '80s, and '90s alternating between blues-y rocker and folks-y singer/songwriter. Hiatt continued recording many records in the 2000's as well, but those just didn't have the same flavor as his material from previous decades did. With "We're Alright Now" (and his song from last year, "D*mn This Town", which I sadly overlooked at the time), though, it appears as though Hiatt is getting back up on his feet again, by adding a somewhat John Mellencamp-ish roots-rock sound back into his repertoire! "We're Alright Now" also boasts a stick-in-your-head hook and catchy, memorable chorus, so much so, that it might just end up sounding like the best classic rock song you've never heard!!
