Adding value to a few lists you might be interested in. Feel free to send us your own. 1.Greg Kot’s Best Local Releases of 2010.
Topping Kot’s list is Cap D’s PolyMath. Kot writes:
“For more than a decade, this erudite MC has been forging his own path with his label and group (both named All Natural), as well as his solo projects. He is criminally under-recognized nationally, but he takes a back seat to no MC with his sharp mind, incisive flow and increasingly robust tracks in the Chicago dusties-soul tradition. Though typecast as too high-minded for an art form that puts a premium on swagger, there’s nothing soft about these rhymes. In ‘Chicago Five-O’ he’s as ominous as a shiv in a back-alley rumble, exposing the brutal politics of race relations in the streets of his home city. A landmark release from one of the best MC’s this city has produced.”
Catching up with Elvis Costello’s show at the Chicago Theatre on Monday, December 20.
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“As host of the Sundance Channel’s Spectacle, Elvis Costello gets fellow artists to open up about their creative process, and often perform stripped-down versions of beloved songs. The British singer/guitarist followed his television show’s cue Monday during a wide-ranging solo concert at the Chicago Theatre, giving a sold-out crowd a rare glimpse into the intricate workings and bare essentials of his own material,” Bob Gendron writes for the Tribune.
“Never short on ideas, Costello has adopted nearly every imaginable musical guise throughout his 33-year career. Many of these flirtations surfaced during a 140-minute, 29-song set dependent on little more than voice, guitar and periodic loops. Keeping banter to a minimum, Costello embraced myriad roles – clowning minstrel, sincere balladeer, backwater bluesman, street busker, blue-eyed crooner, boxcar-hopping folkie, Dixie-whistling vaudevillian. No matter the style, his timbre seemed immune to age. Occasionally Costello walked away from the microphone, his voice still ably projecting, and capable of emphasizing dramatic impact.”
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“With large snowflakes projected on the curtains behind him, Elvis Costello took the stage at the Chicago Theatre on Monday night for a sold-out solo acoustic show that was billed as a special ‘career-spanning once-in-a-lifetime event,'” Anna Deem writes for Spinner.
“Indeed, Costello lived up to his ‘consummate showman’ title as he stood humbled before the massive audience, which gave standing ovations after nearly every song in his two-hour long set. Decked out in a smart dark gray suit and matching hat, Costello wasted little time chatting with the crowd and instead blazed through most of his set. Kicking his performance off with ‘(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes,’ Costello mixed in classics such as his set list with classics like ‘Alison,’ ‘New Amsterdam’ and ‘Green Shirt’ with newer fare such as ‘A Slow Drag With Josephine,’ ‘Jimmie Standing in the Rain’ and ‘The Spell That You Cast’ from 2010’s National Ransom.”
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“Christmas with Elvis Costello evidently does not include chestnuts roasting, sleigh bells ringing or children singing while dressed as Eskimos. Monday night at the Chicago Theatre, he paid homage to the season but in a way more expected from this acerbic rocker: a song about poisoning the family clan over the Christmas ham and another that imagines winter winds as tentacles coming to get you,” Mark Guarino writes for the Sun-Times. 1. Hello, baby, I’m pleased to meet you.
“Members of Chicago’s music scene enjoy creative advantages lost on most other locales,” Bob Gendron writes for the Tribune. “Largely uninterested in competition, many local artists engage in collaborative relationships more typically associated with college towns than urban environments. Few groups embody the city’s community-style camaraderie and chemistry like the Flat Five. Comprised of roots-minded vocalists/instrumentalists, the quintet gathers once a year to learn an array of era-spanning pop covers and play for fun.
“Performing the first of two shows Friday at a sold-out Hideout, the Flat Five continued tradition with a 70-minute concert that felt akin to being present at a warm, impromptu campfire session. Featuring endearing interpretations of songs by tunesmiths ranging from Hoagy Carmichael to Harry Nilsson, the band’s unpredictable, deep-cut set testified to the allure of simple melodies and sublime voices. Radio stations should be so lucky to employ program directors whose playlists reflect such diversity and taste.”
Let’s take a look – and listen. 1. Harry Nilsson’s “Are You Sleeping?”
“James ‘Jimy’ Rogers, 63, a raspy-voiced singer who belted out soulful music as lead vocalist of the Mauds, died of cancer Saturday, Dec. 4, at Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville, according to friends,” the Tribunereports.
“In 1967, Mr. Rogers and the Mauds gained fame when Mercury Records nationally released their first single, ‘Hold On,’ a cover of a classic originally recorded by legendary soul duo Sam & Dave.
“The next year, they scored another hit with ‘Soul Drippin’,’ backed by the horn section of a new band called the Chicago Transit Authority – soon to be renamed Chicago.
“In 1971, the Mauds broke up. But, in 2000, Mr. Rogers revived the band with new musicians and started playing at venues in the northwest suburbs. In recent years, he also performed with the band Blue Road at nightclubs and the Chicago Blues Festival.”
