This week, I was fortunate to catch a gorgeous acoustic set by Andy Cabic of Vetiver and Eric Johnson of Fruit Bats. They played their own songs, of course, but also some lovely covers of singer/songwriters they both admired and that I had never heard of. I took careful notes and when I got home, I lost myself in the music of one Ted Lucas. In the late 1960s and 1970s, Lucas was a busy Detroit musician who had his own bands but also played sitar and other instruments on Motown albums by The Temptations, Stevie Wonder, and The Supremes. (Here's a 1974 radio interview with Lucas.) In 1975, Lucas self-released his only solo LP, nicknamed The OM Album. Lucas died in 1992 and The OM Album was reissued a few years ago by Yoga Records. It's absolutely stunning and I can't wait until the new vinyl edition, promised by Yoga for later this year, hits stores. Until then, you can still buy the CD and digital download: Ted Lucas (Yoga Records)
And if you aren't hip to the stunning sounds of Andy Cabic/Vetiver or Eric Johnson/Fruit Bats, check 'em out pronto!
