Cash-in reunions from chart-topping warhorses aren’t tough to predict: Few could feign surprise at, say, the Police returning to arenas for ticket prices equivalent to the average family vacation. But foreseeing a new collaboration by the members of San Antonio’s Krayolas—and their first full-length studio album in 21 years—was much more of a long shot. Dating back to 1975, the Krayolas, like the Sir Douglas Quintet a decade earlier, gave the British Invasion their own Texas bent. Led by brothers Hector and David Saldana, the Krayolas played infectious, sunny pop (the K in their name was in tribute to Hector’s favorite band, the Kinks) that quickly attained fabled status in the Alamo City. To say La Conquistadora (Box) picks up right where the band left off is a gross understatement; in many ways, the band sounds better than ever. With the West Side Horns and former Doug Sahm compadre Augie Meyers along for the ride, sparkling melodic gems pour forth. Instead of striving to re-create their glory days, the Krayolas make music like a band with plenty more ahead of them. Reviewed by Jeff McCord
After the stunning success of their 2003 self-titled release, San Angelo’s Los Lonely Boys settled in for a world-class sophomore slump. Sacred, in 2006, was formulaic and felt like a rush job; the record-buying public responded coolly. To a large degree, Forgiven (Epic) rights these wrongs: Its recaptured vitality makes it a much stronger record than its predecessor—and had the album stopped midway, this could have been the band’s finest (half) hour. The opener, “Heart Won’t Tell a Lie,” is an appealing guitar rocker; “Loving You Always” and the mea culpa of the title track are textbook slices of light summer pop; and Steve Winwood’s “I’m a Man” is an inspired cover choice. Though the production seems simple and unadorned, these songs feel carefully fussed over, and while the Garza brothers use virtually the same harmonies on every tune, their blues-rock blend is effective. Still, by “Cruel,” the album’s eighth track, the trio falls back into clichéd coasting. There’s plenty to admire about Forgiven, but weirdly, you can almost pinpoint the moment they seem to stop trying. Reviewed by Jeff McCord
Over the years, the ancestral line of prewar American bluesmen has just about vanished. Mississippi-born pianist Pinetop Perkins, who relocated to Austin in 2004, is one of the few survivors. A sideman for the majority of his career—most famously with Muddy Waters—Perkins turns 95 this month. Though much has been made of his fortitude, the truth is, for him and many other musicians without retirement plans, slowing down is not really an option. The good news? He still sounds great. Pinetop Perkins and Friends (Telarc) celebrates his life and music with a reverent and tasteful all-star assemblage, including three kings of the blues guitar. B. B. King trades licks and vocal barbs on “Down in Mississippi,” and Eric Clapton turns in a hair-raising solo on the medley “How Long Blues/Come Back Baby.” But it’s former Thunderbird Jimmie Vaughan, with his restrained, eloquent string mastery, who best complements Perkins’s piano work and singing. Tracks like “Anna Lee” and Perkins’s own “Take It Easy Baby” find a fertile groove, and while Perkins himself is not exactly hard-driving, his expressive style speaks of a time all but forgotten. Pinetop Perkins Website Reviewed by Jeff McCord
Kat Edmonson
Kat Edmonson
Photograph by Paul Merryman
The 24-year-old Austin singer created a grassroots phenomenon with her song and video “Be the Change” (written and produced with collaborator Kevin Lovejoy), which has garnered radio and television play, become a top local seller, and received more than 60,000 hits on YouTube. “Be The Change” YouTube video.
What was the impetus for this song?
A desire I had to motivate people to vote in the presidential election. I feel like many other people right now: that there needs to be an immense change in our country and in the way we approach things.
Yet it’s a positive message.
My idea was to create a positive chorus with a very simple message, which, incidentally, is not my own. It’s actually Gandhi’s: Be the change you wish to see in the world. The idea of the song isn’t just to discuss what is happening; it’s actually to get people moving.
And what happened when you released it?
We first put it on YouTube. I sent it to my friends, and Kevin sent it to his friends, and then we checked back on the site and thousands of people had already watched within a week, like 20,000 people. And I received, within a week, some one hundred e-mails from people telling me how moved they were. That was exciting. I didn’t expect such a turnout.
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