a curated collection of new and high quality used rock , reggae , electronic , jazz , blues , and folk music LPs from around the world
Scratched Vinyl 119 Barrington Commons Court , Barrington , Illinois
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14 illinoisentertainer . com june 2022
packed with references from legend , literature , and fantasy . It ’ s a reverie wherein the singer imagines himself as Raymond Chandler ’ s private eye and his partner is idolized as a fairytale princess . The pair find adventure from Camelot to Shangri-La , in the company of Moses , Buddha , and Michelangelo . “ The Arsonist ” is a driving , mid-tempo ballad in the Springsteen tradition , colored by Vijay Tellis-Nayak ’ s piano and organ and Grant Tye ’ s ringing electric guitars and weeping pedal steel-styled lines . Redemption is again found through companionship and commitment . “ You ’ re not alone ,” McDermott repeats . McDermott ’ s foundation in Irish folk music rings through “ All That We Have Lost ,” remarking on natural and man-made tragedies and connecting them to the spirit of the age . Ultimately , he sings of looking inward for peace with chaos reigns in the outer world . Tom Petty-styled acoustic strummer “ Dead by Dawn ” is the tale of an overlooked everyman , stressed to the breaking point by reality and in need of that inner light . Violinist Heather Lynne Horton ’ s voice is an important component of the sound here and throughout the album , frequently adding sweetness and harmony to McDermott ’ s raspy but supple tenor . With a caffeinated club-friendly pulse , “ Our Little Secret ” burns with ardor for love on the sly . The torrid tale runs through less exotic but suitably clandestine locales in Wisconsin , Pennsylvania , and California , leaving the messes behind for the hapless hotel maids . The winsome and sentimental folk of “ Paris ” finds McDermott dreaming of one more getaway , allowing love to bloom and flourish in the City of Lights . These four-minute movies describe journeys through the darkness . Often there ’ s the promise of a happy ending in the light . Sometimes there isn ’ t .
The snapshots seem to reflect McDermott ’ s own struggles , about which he has been transparent . With perspective and distance from those troubled times , he ’ s able to offer compassion and grace in this metaphor for St . Paul ’ s biblical “ road to Damascus ” experience . If most of the characters here never manage to fully break away from St . Paul ’ s Boulevard , they ’ re dogged enough to keep trying with each spin of the album . Maybe that inspiration will help some listeners dig through our own complacency , regret , despair , or whatever keeps us rooted to the dead-end byways of our own real-life circumstances or imaginations . Appearing 6 / 17 Elmhurst Hall , Elmhurst ; 7 / 2 FitzGerald ’ s , Berwyn .
– Jeff Elbel
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CHIP Z ’ NUFF Perfectly Imperfect ( Frontiers )
Call Chip Znuff , vocalist / bassist for longtime Chicago rockers Enuff Z ’ Nuff whatever you want , but you can ’ t call him lazy . Over the past two years , he ’ s been highly prolific when it comes to writing and recording new albums . From Enuff Z ’ Nuff ’ s 2020 Brainwashed Generation to the Beatles covers album , to his new solo album Perfectly Imperfect , Chip has been rather busy . As with all of Chip ’ s previous material , his magic melodic musical potion is his lifelong homage to the Beatles and Cheap Trick . For almost 40 years , Chip has been perfecting a formula that has worked since the beginning , and Perfectly Imperfect is no exception . Of the 10 tracks , the album consists of some good original material , an interesting cover song in Mott The Hoople ’ s “ Honaloochie Boogie ,” a track co-written by well-loved former Enuff Z ’ Nuff member Donnie Vie (“ Heaven in a Bottle ”) and the inclusion of several special guest musicians . After the quasi Beatle-esque psychedelic instrumental “ The Church ,” Chip & Co . lead off with the first song proper “ Welcome to the Party .” Although the track goes on a bit too long at almost 5 minutes in duration , it welcomes the listener with warm and lush melodies . “ Doctor ” contains the typical Chip lyrical rhyming approach , decorated with soaring vocal harmonies and emotive guitar melodies with an insanely catchy chorus . “ Roll On ” and “ 3 way ” follow a similar suit , while the aforementioned popladen “ Heaven in a Bottle ” proves that the songwriting bond and musical chemistry between Chip and Donnie is as strong as ever .
Is Chip Z ’ nuff ’ s Perfectly Imperfect abit predictable ? Maybe so , but it ’ s what you ’ ve come to expect and love from the man , which fits right in with the Z ’ Nuff back catalog .
– Kelley Simms Appearing 6 / 24 at The Town
Bar and Grill , Aurora
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