CD Reviews for 10/07/09 – Reigning Sound, Barbara Lynn
Compact Capsules for Oct 7, 2009
by Dan Ferguson
Barbara Lynn
Here Is Barbara Lynn
Water Records 239
Released in 1968 as her debut for Atlantic Records with legendary producer Huey P. Meaux at the helm, the album Here Is Barbara Lynn was intended to introduce the talented singer and left-handed guitar slinger from Beaumont, Texas to the masses. To that point, Lynn had enjoyed some chart success thanks primarily to the ballad “You’ll Lose a Good Thing”. Featuring 12 original songs of deep soul showcasing Lynn’s vocal talents, poor promotion on Atlantic’s part saw the album disappear quickly. A long sought after collector’s item, this soul treasure finally sees the light of day as a CD reissue. Recommended.
Barbara Lynn appears at The German Club in Pawtucket on Saturday, October 17, as part of The Colonel’s Sooper Duper Guitar Party. Visit colonelsguitarparty.com for details.
The Reigning Sound
Love & Curses
In The Red Records
The 2002 release Time Bomb High School from then Memphis-based band Reigning Sound is about as perfect a rock & roll record as there is. Led by one of the unsung heroes of present-day R&R in Greg Cartwright, great songs attached to hook-filled melodies drawing as much from the garage and soul past as the present added up to an ass-shaker of an album. Fans of former Shangri-Las singer Mary Weiss’s 2007 comeback album Dangerous Game will no doubt recognize several songs from that album each of which was penned by Cartwright who produced the Weiss record. The first Reigning Sound studio album in five years, the new Love & Curses plays like the perfect second act to TBHS with an equally kickass punch, to boot.
(Dan Ferguson is a free-lance music writer and host of The Boudin Barndance, broadcast Thursday nights from 6 – 9 pm on WRIU-FM 90.3. He lives in Peace Dale and can be reached at [email protected].)
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