Best of 2014: Dave Rogers (aka Professor Bebop)
By Folk Department
As 2015 kicks off, various WTJU Folk staff look back on some of their favorite 2014 releases (or in a few cases albums which arrived at WTJU in 2014). To see the other lists, including the final WTJU Best of 2014 compilation, click here.
Host: Dave Rogers, aka Professor Bebop (Friday, 11 pm to 1 am)
“Can’t Even Do Wrong Right” – Elvin Bishop (Alligator) – southern “good ol’ boy” blues
“Whitey Johnson” – Gary Nicholson (Slow Moving) – country soul blues from in a tribute to an influence by awesome songwriter Nicholson
“Bad Self Portraits” – Lake Street Dive (Signature Sounds) – great pop with a hook into the sixties’ sound
“The River And The Thread” – Rosanne Cash (Blue Note) – thoughtful, moving songs from Johnny’s oldest daughter, pure Americana
“A Reasonable Amount Of Trouble” – Jesse Winchester (Appleseed) – Jesse’s farewell to his wife and us. A beautiful gift from one of the greatest singer songwriters
“Too Blessed To Be Stressed” – Paul Thorn (Perpetual Obscurity) – quirky Thorn with some great takes on life, like the title tune and “I backslide On Friday”
“Allergic To Water” – Ani DiFranco (Righteous Babe) – the challenges of relationships drives this new battery of songs – took a while to grow on me, but now I’m hooked!
“Warm Covers EP” – JD McPherson (Rounder) – a teaser EP with a killer version of Billy Boy Arnold’s “I Wish You Would”
Great local stuff:
“Love And Logic” – Sons of Bill (Thirty Tigers) – thoughtful, sometimes tortured tunes from our very own Americana band
“Crow Soup & Other Roadside Delicacies, Made Easy, v3” – The Buzzard Hollow Boys (self-produced) – The Buzzards return with those down home originals and a few classics that will set your toes to tappin’ and your heart-strings a-slappin’!
