Benjamin Longmire – The Solution
Genre: Blues, Classic Rock
Are you one of the people that likes to rewatch movies again and again? Hey, I’m not blaming you! I’ve seen what the streaming sites have to offer and, boy, does it suck. Personally, I’ve gone back to watching Lemon and Matthau comedies when I need a bit of an escape from the outside world.
But are you ever bothered about knowing how they’re gonna end? I mean, sure, you probably assumed a happy ending would be in the cards the very first time you watched them, but still… Nobody minds a fork in the road once in a while, something to keep you guessing.
The blues is a bit like that. You’ve heard it before, and the moment you hear the first chord, you know the ones that are going to be played next. You assume you’re going to hear a lead guitar slide between notes on a pentatonic scale. So, where does the surprise come in?
The proverbial icing on the cake for a modern blues song has to be found in the emotion. Everything else has been done many times before. Benjamin Longmire’s “The Solution” honors blues music’s tradition. But it’s the manic, despair-driven tone of the voice and flow of the lyrics that offer that surprise element and makes you want to prick up your ears and listen closer.
Wyly Bigger – Midnight in Meridian
Similar artists: Mel Tormé, Vic Damone, Billy Eckstine
Genre: Jazz, Blues
Sure, stories about the modern concert experience tend to focus on corporate greed and on the performers’ lack of understanding of their fans’ needs. One of the bigger rock bands just axed a tour after too few volunteered to pay $300 a ticket to hear the old favorites. Other tours are even more expensive, with some North American fans suggesting they saved money by flying overseas to watch the pop star of their choice.
But spare a thought for the performers who might not have the security blanket of a few million in the bank and an army of lawyers to defend them! Let’s talk about all the musicians who break their backs, carry their gear, break the bank, travel from town to town, and break their hearts whenever audiences don’t show enthusiasm for their life’s work.
Wyly Bigger’s “Midnight in Meridian” is a tragi-comic ode to some of the world’s greatest dreamers—the late-night musical entertainers. They travel the world equipped with just an act and a dream to bring a smile to people’s faces. The fact that Wyly Bigger, a singer with pristine jazz-pop vocals, might ever feel insecure might make you appreciate him more. As for the big-band-playing-pop routine, don’t let that scare you. It comes back every few years, and pop audiences never turn their backs when it does.
