Funk n' Folk

I'm working nights again this week... not sure how many days, but I'm definitely screwing up any chance of a "schedule" I could have had going into the week. What sucks even more is that my roommate and I have been having some problems with the main computer in our house, which is limiting my access to our music library. Give me a day or two to figure things out.

For now, here's a variety of MP3's to sample and enjoy:

Howlin' Wolf "Evil": It's cold in Chicago, but this song from Chicago's own legendary Howlin' Wolf is hotter than shit. I just stumbled upon it myself on one of my dizzying Music Blog Purges. I can't even think of the site where I found this, so if anyone out there remembers finding this somewhere else, give them my love. As a matter of fact, if you can tell me anything about this track -- who played on it, who is that funky drummer, what album does it appear on -- I'd be much obliged.

Cannonball Adderley "Inside Straight": From the album of the same name. When I was a kid, my very first exposure to Miles Davis was through a Cannonball Adderley CD. Of course, it was still too early for me to get jazz, so the CD eventually found its way out of my stacks and into the hands of some used CD store in Omaha. It would be years later that I would rediscover Cannonball, even after discovering a newfound respect for jazz and diving headfirst into the music of Miles Davis. Cannonball was part of Davis's incredible sextet (which also featured John Coltrane) and played on the album that even jazz haters love, KIND OF BLUE. This song is not what you'd expect from jazz.

Detroit Cobras "Last Nite": I seem to remember there being some sort of Detroit revolution in the rock world a few years back. It was all over so quickly that some of the best bands from that area were lost or forgotten in the shuffle. Some of the unfortunately unheralded included the Dirtbombs, the Sights, and the Detroit Cobras, a garage/R&B band lead by vocalist and ex-exotic dancer Rachel Nagy. This is their gritty and glorious cover of a Strokes' hit you're probably familiar with already.

Colin Meloy "Sister I'm a Poet": Coming from the opposite end of the funky spectrum (meaning, "completely honkey, very little funk at all") is the Decemberists' Colin Meloy doing a cover of a Morissey song. This is from the limited edition (1,000 copies) tour EP, COLIN MELOY SINGS MORRISSEY. I thought this little acoustic ditty would be a nice palate cleaner after all that gritty funk and rock, as well as acting as a nice teaser for the upcoming release of the next Decemberists album.

For more on the artists listed here:
All Music Guide's entry on Howlin' Wolf
Cannonball Adderley
Motor City Rocks' Detroit Cobras Page
The Dirtbombs' page
The Sights' home page
Pitchfork's review of Colin Meloy Sings Morrissey
The Decemberists' site