Missionaria Protectiva

        Carla Thomas – daughter of Memphis disc jockey and singer  Rufus Thomas  – was only 10 years old when she started out with the Teen Town Singers (a chorus drawn from the black high schools around Memphis) and just 15 when the self-penned  Gee Whiz (Look At His Eyes)  sold a million copies in 1960 and became her signature song.       She was one of the first artists to record for  Stax , the label that came to define the Memphis sound.       With Stax-mate  Otis Redding  she worked up  Tramp  – in which the pair carried on a memorable mock quarrel – during an impromptu Christmastime session in 1966. In 1967 she toured the UK with  Redding ,  Sam & Dave ,  Eddie Floyd ,  Arthur Conley  and  Booker T  as part of the legendary ‘Hit The Road’  Stax  package tour.       Carla spent most of the 1970s in Los Angeles, pursui...

  JUICE NEWTON  Quiet Lies  (Capitol,1982) - Country rock        This album assured Newton three country hits (the first three tracks) as she found her way back to the country-rock sound she seems to do best. Her choice of covers works better this time as well. Her  Brenda Lee  ( Break It To Me Gently )  netted her a hit, and her  Gene Pitney  ( I'm Gonna Be Strong )  cover wasn't bad either. TRACKLIST : Heart Of The Night                        Love's Been A Little Bit Hard On Me                        Break It To Me Gently                        Love Sail Away                        I'm Dancing As Fast As I Can                     ...

  WILLIE NELSON  Red Headed Stranger  (Columbia, 1975) - Country       Willie Nelson’s career-defining masterpiece symbolizes the transition from the glossy Nashville Sound of the then-recent past to the more introspective songwriting of a new generation of country songwriters; it’s an indisputable classic that harkens back to the rich storytelling tradition of country and western music. TRACKLIST : Time Of The Preacher                         I Couldn't Believe It Was True                        Time Of The Preacher Theme                        Blue Rock Montana / Red Headed Stranger                        Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain                        Red ...

  RICHARD BETTS  Highway Call  (Capricorn,1974) - Country rock       ‘Highway Call’  built on the country styling of  ‘Blue Sky’  and  ‘Brothers and Sisters’  but more so. While this seemed new and innovative in 1974, in reality, Dickey Betts’ inspiration was based on his childhood exposures to country, bluegrass, western swing, and the music of Jimmie Rodgers. The fact it was released under the name Richard rather than Dickey Betts adds to the sense of personal history. The musicians that Betts gathered to record  ‘Highway Call’  were a mix of southern rock musicians like Chuck Leavell, Cowboy’s Tommy Talton, and producer Johnny Sandlin, and real country and bluegrass musicians like famed steel player John Hughey, and bluegrass fiddler Vassar Clements. There were also appearances by Frank, Leon, and Walter Poindexter who were related to the Rice Brothers, Tony, Larry, Wyatt, and Ron, and the American Southern gospel group...

  PETER FRAMPTON  Wind Of Change  (A&M,1972) - Hard rock       Beginning with his initial solo album,  Wind of Change , Peter Frampton laid the groundwork for the releases that would follow. While not his strongest overall work, all of the songs had that inestimable  something  that would define Frampton’s solo work -- a gentle, comforting style that kept each tune playing over and over in my head. Songs like “Fig Tree Bay,” “Wind of Change,” “It’s a Plain Shame,” and “All I Want to Be” can stand with anything he would write in the future. While all his best works touched on relationships, they were all different enough not to cloud the mind, and they remain fresh through repeated listens. TRACKLIST : Fig Tree Bay                    Wind Of Change                    Lady Lieright                 ...

  STEVIE NICKS  Rock A Little  (Modern,1985) - Pop/Rock       This album is not as gripping as her previous efforts, Bella Donna and The Wild Heart, but it has greater variety. Nicks hasn't abandoned commercial pop-rock as songs such as Talk to Me and The Nightmare attest. I Can't Wait and Sister Honey have her experimenting with hard-edged dance rhythms that use electronic percussion. In the slower songs her voice, with its strange shadings and quavering nasality, can be irksome. On I Sing for the Things, she sounds like a bizarre cross between Edith Piaf and Elmer Fudd. But Nicks is too smooth a pro to allow her vocal idiosyncrasies to mar the whole record. She employs talented sidemen such as guitarists Waddy Wachtel, Les Dudek and Michael Landau. Nicks herself rocks a little, and she explores some other tempos with equal polish. TRACKLIST : I Can't Wait                       Rock A Little (Go Ahead ...