Like usual, I was planning a decently sized post discussing everything I got to in May. However, given my lack of enthusiasm for such an endeavor and that this post is already several days late I'll keep it skim and to the point.
I listened to a lot of country blues in May and got to listen to six new albums, all of which I enjoyed. My two favorite bluesmen I listened to were Reverend Gary Davis and Blind Willie McTell. Both are categorized in the genre Piedmont blues and both were blind from a young age though they sound very different. Davis sang mostly gospel tunes, he had a scratchy but passionate voice, and his simplicity in lyricism topped with nimble fingerpicking, which became quite influential, makes him one of my favorite finds in the blues--even his later recordings are worth a listen. McTell has a soft voice and his guitar playing is more melodic than most of the other bluesmen, making him one of the best places to start if you want to get into the blues. I also checked out Big Joe Williams, who is fine but probably not exploring, and Mississippi Fred McDowell, who is known as a master of slide guitar and is quite a good bluesman although his female accompaniment sometimes gets in the way of his early recordings.
I revisited Robert Johnson's two seminal records on his birthday. I've been meaning to review them but haven't yet had the motivation. I also listened to several Bob Dylan albums on Dylan's birthday before listening to the Rolling Stones for four hours straight--they're currently the runaway leader for band I reach for most.
What else? Bonnie Raitt came back after two forgettable albums with Home Plate to secure a spot in the top five of this month, the Kinks released their best album Village Green and turned around and made their most dubious (though probably not their worst) Arthur, Leonard Cohen has started off strongly though his second album is too stark, and Rod Stewart has begun quite an inspiring solo career but proved a terribly mediocre frontman for both the Jeff Beck Group and Faces.
With the end of June, we'll have made it through half of the year. I'll be skipping the regular monthly recap and instead I’ll reflect on the year so far as well as rank my favorite twenty albums of the year so far. I hope you're looking forward to it as much as I am!
My 5 Favorite Albums from May:
Bonnie Raitt: Home Plate (1975)
The Kinks: The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society (1968)
Leonard Cohen: Songs of Leonard Cohen (1967)
Reverend Gary Davis: The Complete Early Recordings of Reverend Gary Davis (1994)
Rod Stewart: An Old Raincoat Won't Ever Let You Down (1969)
