here they are:
"Getting Ready to Get Down" by Josh Ritter: Could it be?! An upbeat song from the normally calm Josh Ritter?! Yes, it is!! The title alone kinda proves it. It's not typical of Josh Ritter to use a phrase like "get down" in one of his songs, but here, he does. It sounds more like Barenaked Ladies attempting to emulate Josh Ritter's vocal style than it does an actual Josh Ritter song, but it actually works here! Josh reveals his sense of humor in this song, too, with lines like "Jesus hates your high school dances", and many other lines that attempt to satirize the concept of religion.
"Gimme All Your Love" by Alabama Shakes: For their third single off of their latest album, Brittany Howard and co return to the '60s soul/rock combo that they initially became known for. "Gimme All Your Love" sounds an awful lot like Janis Joplin's "Cry Baby", with its tender, soulful verses, and blasts of rock 'n' roll guitar sound in the chorus, expressing a deep sense of passion either way. At least for the first two and a half minutes it sounds that way. After that, though, it goes for more of a sound that mixes the early funk of James Brown with the emotionally charged blues-rock of The Allman Brothers. The last 10 seconds or so of the song return briefly to the slower start of the song before closing with a loud, solid guitar sound. Brittany gives more than just all her love here, she gives her soul!!
"The Healing" by Gary Clark, Jr.: In addition to Alabama Shakes, Gary Clark Jr. is yet another blues-rock revivalist who emerged in the 2010's and gained an unexpectedly large audience, so perhaps it's fitting that their newest songs were introduced side by side for this week's blog! What better way to celebrate the joy of music than by singing about music?! Gary does so in his latest song, "The Healing", in which he proclaims that "music is (his) healing". Amen, brother! I can totally relate!
