Morning Shorts

Bill Callahan's "debut" comes in on Tuesday, and the NYT is on board: "by Mr. Callahan’s standards, “Woke on a Whaleheart” is an exuberant album; it includes a skewed gospel song (“The Wheel”) and an unexpectedly forthright, if long-winded, love song (“From the Rivers to the Ocean”). “Day” seems to be a bitter (if vague) protest song, but the stern opening line — “Some people are a sickness on this land” — soon gives way to a playful instruction: “Learn from the animals/Monkeys do, monkeys do, monkeys do piggish things too.” Meanwhile, Fader has a video of Callahan, Joanna Newsom and Jim White performing oldie "Bathysphere".

Daytrotter brings in an Eef Barzelay session, including two new tunes and a gorgeous solo version of "Collapse" from End of Love.

I've got one Shannon Wright album in my collection, and I admired it more than I listened to it. It's "difficult". But wow, the preview track from her new album Let in the Light, due May 8th on Quarterstick, is of a different world, an indie-classic rock mashup with soul and deep, rich vocals. This has been added to my buy list...

MP3: Shannon Wright - "Everybody's Got Their Own Part to Play"

Living With Legends pointed me to a fine YouTube cover of Dan Bern's great, underheard song "Chelsea Hotel", given an appropriately whiskey-soaked vocal treatment.