walk on on the west side

What do you really need on a Thursday?

I think a modern take on the 'guitar based country meets gospel choir' story would probably suit you very nicely indeed.

One of the LPs on my current rotation is Howe Gelb's 'Sno Angel Like You. On the surface it seems like a very nicely recorded drums/bass/slide guitar/B3 based piece of country fare with Gelb's usual songmanship. The twist is the introduction of a gospel choir that had me thinking about walking on the wild side more than once the first time I heard it. Songwriting buffs will notice Howe plays a number of tunes by Rainer Ptacek too - a fine tribute to a much missed friend from the Tuscon circle. Those of you following current music trends will notice that the drums are played by The Arcade Fire's Jeremy Gara.

howe gelb - paradise here abouts

howe gelb - get to leave

Howe is playing with the full choir all over Europe in the next month or so and you can find details of this tour on his site.

I got my copy of this LP on vinyl from Newt Records. They offer a genuinely excellent mail order service and don't charge any postage for CDs, 7" Singles and DVDs. They also stock a lot of obscure new stuff and as such are highly recommended place to shop!