4 Must-Listens This Week

The latest from David Crosby, Jackson Browne, Leon Bridges, and Descendents 

From the LifeMinute.TV Team

July 23, 2021

A pair of classic rockers with deep roots in the much-heralded Laurel Canyon scene of the 1960s, an emerging artist with a sound that harkens back to the sweet soul music of the 1970s, and a classic punk band whose work gave birth to the pop-punk bands of today all have new must-listen-to records out.

The soon-to-be 80-year-old music legend David Crosby has done it all in his long and storied career. He was one of the founding members of the folk-rock standard-bearers, the Byrds, and after that, he went on to form beautiful harmonies as a member of Crosby, Stills & Nash. Crosby has been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame twice as a member of both musical groups, and he has a new record For Free out on BMG. The album was produced by his son, James Raymond, who also penned the touching final track, "I Won't Stay for Long."  Fellow classic rockers Donald Fagen from Steely Dan and Michael McDonald from the Doobie Brothers are also along for the ride.

After a 50-year music career, Jackson Browne has just released his 1st new album in eight years, Downhill From Everywhere, on Inside Recordings.  As one might expect, Browne, now 72 years old, is tackling the subject of his own mortality in this 10-track album, including "Still Looking for Something” and "Minutes To Downtown," which reflects on a new romance of an elder statesman. Like most of his albums, Browne balances the political with the personal. The title track is an anti-pollution anthem, and "The Dreamer" looks at the ongoing immigration issues facing our nation.

Soul crooner Leon Bridges has a throwback sound to the smooth soul and R&B of the 1970s. His latest effort Gold-Diggers Sound is his 3rd album for Columbia Records. The album is named after the hotel/bar where it was recorded and where Bridges spent the last two years formulating the songs for this album. The lead single "Sweeter" featuring R&B artist Terrace Martin was released shortly after the murder of George Floyd. Martin and Bridges performed the song at last year's Democratic National Convention. Bridges pushes himself on this record beyond the retro-soul hipster that nabbed him Grammy nominations right out of the gate...and it works. The tracks "Details" and "Sho Nuff” show his jazzy side, while the track "Motorbike” incorporates elements of pop.

Descendents got their start in Southern California in 1977 and helped forge a punk scene on the west coast that was still in its infancy. The original lineup consisted of drummer Bill Stevenson, guitarist Frank Navetta, and Tony Lombardo on bass. Singer Milo Aukerman joined soon after. The band's practice space was a garage that belonged to Navetta’s sister. That location is the title of their new album 9th & Walnut, out now on Epitaph records. The band's unique 8th studio album revisits some of the group's earlier work. It was recorded in two different sessions, the first in 2002 and the second in 2020. Fans will love the usual topics of rejection and bitterness, which the band has always masterfully put to Beach Boys-like harmonies. Two standouts are the band's first single, "Ride the Wild," a previous instrumental, which now has vocals from Aukerman, and a righteous cover of The Dave Clark Five, "Glad All Over,” with the full-on Descendents-esque pop-punk treatment.