By Shane Harrison
Erykah Badu, Loretta Lynn merit Atlantans’ attention
Singers of different genres highlight week in concerts
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Thursday, August 21, 2008
THURSDAY, Aug. 21
David Lindley
AP
Serious fans of singer Erykah Badu will want to catch her August 27 Chastain Park performance, where she’ll sing in support of her critically-acclaimed new CD, New Amerykah’.
BEHIND THE MUSIC: Lindley is a brilliant and underappreciated multi-instrumentalist best known as a sideman for Jackson Browne when Browne was crafting his finest work in the mid-to-late ’70s. Just try to imagine “Running on Empty” without Lindley’s evocative steel guitar work. Lindley has his own extensive discography, including albums with his band El Rayo X and with fellow musical wizard Ry Cooder.
The 411: 6:30 p.m. $25; $20 advance. Eddie’s Attic, 515-B N. McDonough St., Decatur. 404-377-4976, www.eddiesattic.com.
Bonerama
COME BLOW YOUR HORN: It’s a good bet that you won’t see anything else quite like this New Orleans combo in Atlanta this week. With a four-trombone front line, this big, brassy combo has been gathering rave reviews all over the place. After seeing the band at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival last year, Rolling Stone’s David Fricke wrote that Bonerama “definitively answer[s] the age-old musical question: What Would Black Sabbath sound like with the P-Funk horns instead of guitarist Tony Iommi?”
The 411: 8 p.m. $15; $12 advance. Smith’s Olde Bar, 1578 Piedmont Ave. N.E., Midtown. 404-875-1522, www.smithsoldebar.com.
FRIDAY, Aug. 22
G. Love & Special Sauce
SAUCE SERVED FRESH: G. Love’s laid-back blend of blues, folk, rock and hip-hop never seems to pack enough punch on record, but he’s a charismatic and powerful live performer. The new album, “Superhero Brother,” is sure to please the faithful, though, especially when our man G. — aka Garrett Dunn — poses the musical query “Who’s Got the Weed?”
The 411: 8 p.m. $29. Chastain Park Amphitheatre, 4469 Stella Drive N.W., Atlanta. 404-733-4800, 404-249-6400, www.classic
chastain.com.
SATURDAY, Aug. 23
Billy Currington
GEORGIA HOMECOMING: Currington was born in Savannah and raised in nearby Rincon. After two Top 10 country singles and a Top 20 debut album, he released his second album, “Doin’ Somethin’ Right,” in October 2005. It contained his first No. 1 single, “Must Be Doin’ Something Right,” and his second, “Good Directions,” the latter written by fellow Georgian Luke Bryan. We’re still waiting for the third album. On a less musical note, Currington was named one of Nashville’s 25 most beautiful people by Nashville Lifestyles magazine and graced the cover of Playgirl back in 2006.
The 411: 8 p.m. $25-$32. Georgia Mountains Center, 301 Main St. S.W., Gainesville. 770-534-8420, www.georgiamountainscenter.com.
Loretta Lynn
YOU’RE LOOKIN’ AT COUNTRY: Along with George Jones, Lynn is the living embodiment of all that is great and good about country music. There should be no hesitation about using the word legend when this groundbreaking singer and songwriter is the subject. Her early recordings still send shivers down the spine, as she sings those hardscrabble songs with a twang as stalwart and strong as the mountains that fostered it.
The 411: 7:30 p.m.$36.50-$74. Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, 2800 Cobb Galleria Parkway, Atlanta. 770-916-2800, 404-249-6400, www.cobbenergycentre.com.
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 27
Erykah Badu
GIVE THE LADY A HAND: Every once in a while, Badu unleashes one of the year’s best R&B albums with little hoopla. Of course, there are plenty of fans out there anxiously awaiting each new release, but a musician as talented as Badu deserves a little more fanfare. And when she blesses us with something as fine as this year’s “New Amerykah,” there ought to be trumpets and fireworks.
The 411: 8 p.m. $44-$59; $25 lawn. Chastain Park Amphitheatre, 4469 Stella Drive N.W., Atlanta. Ticketmaster: 404-249-6400, www.classicchastain.com.
