When Garland Jeffreys broke onto the New York music scene in the early 1970s — the same scene that spawned Patti Smith, Lou Reed, and (via New Jersey) Bruce Springsteen — his songs were a little too close to the reality of the times. Music was supposed to be an escape, not something to remind us of the struggles people endured. Jefferys then still tackles the politics of race, ignorance, and hardship, but also the joy in the world around him, through a compelling blend of rock 'n' roll interspersed with reggae, blues, Latin, and soul. In 1973, "Wild in the Streets" chronicled both joyous and turbulent life in the Big Apple. "Spanish Town" came in 1977; "R.O.C.K." in 1980, with "Don't Call Me Buckwheat" in 1992. Presently, it's "Coney Island Winter" — the lead track of Jeffreys' first... More >>>