Dappered Classics: Music with some swagger

Music with Swagger – The Heavy | The Stone Foxes | Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears

Originally Published 12/13/2010 as part of the annual Holiday Gift Guide “The 12 Days of Dappered”.  This was way back before the word “swagger” became completely overused everywhere by everyone.  Thanks for understanding.

12 weekdays, 12 gifts, not a partridge or pear tree amongst them.  And no golden rings either.  The goal is to keep these affordable (which is honestly, tough to define) but still interesting.  At the very least these should be idea starters.  Click here for the previous days.

If you’re going to give music as a gift, for Pete’s sake don’t give them some melancholy downer record.  Give them something they can put on and crank up.  Like any of these three.

The Heavy are a British Neo Soul group anchored by a lead singer with a killer falsetto, AC/DC like dirty riffs, and every once in awhile… horns.

The Stone Foxes are from the Bay Area, embody what the genre of rock should be today (i.e. bluesy, loud, and without an ounce of woe is me whine), and it’s stunning that these guys aren’t better known.  Bears and Bulls is their latest.  Start to finish, it’s as good as it gets.

Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears somehow manage to take what James Brown mastered, put their own spin on it, and it all comes out sounding more genuine than The Godfather of Soul himself.  The CD is only about 30 minutes, but holy Hell is it a great half hour.  The track, “Get yo’ shit” is easily the best piece of spoken and sung storytelling since One Bourbon One Scotch One Beer.
.

………………………

.

………………………

.

………………………