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Kraftwerk - Tour de France - Soundtracks
EMI 591 708 2 Reviewed by RC
Tour de France - Soundtracks marks an important stage in Kraftwerk's career. It is their first full album for twelve years, the first since Karl Bartos' departure, and the first to contain music played entirely on software instruments and recorded on laptop computers. The way in which Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider have chosen to mark this occasion seems odd at first. The original 'Tour de France' single appeared in 1983, when the duo intended to devote an LP to the subject of cycling. But it was not until the centenary of the race that they had the opportunity to return to the concept. The result is not a classic album. With techno, house and ambient now well-defined genres, it would be difficult for any new Kraftwerk release to have the same impact as Computer World. However, Tour de France - Soundtracks carries echoes of past glory and sounds to intrigue loyal robots everywhere. The new, five-part Tour de France' piece succeeds in evoking a sense of wide open space rushing by at high speed, with the 'Chrono 'jitterbug being the highlight of the opening section, while the languid vocader sections of 'la Forme' compare well with 'Endless Endless'. 'Elektro Kardiogramm', with its dark reverbs and atonal organ swirls, could also have been recorded for Trans Europe Express, and the new album is closer to TEE than anything else.

Walter Trout - Relentless
RUF Records RUF1083 Reviewed by AH
In a recent BBC poll Walter Trout was voted number six out of the top twenty guitarists of all time. Had he pulled just a few more votes he'd have been rubbing shoulders with household names like Hendrix and Page. Walter isn't an overnight sensation though, he's been plying his trade for the best part of 35 years now, regularly playing upwards of 200 gigs a year. He's honed his guitar licks playing alongside blues giants like John Lee Hooker, Big Mama Thornton and John Mayall, and since going solo has amassed a formidable back catalogue. Relentless is Walter's latest album, 14 brand new songs full of rich, passionate vocals and searing guitar playing. With this release he chose to record it live in front of a rabid crowd at the Paradiso Club in Amsterdam. Trout likes to move outside of traditional blues stylings, often ripping into songs on a Hendrix vibe ('Chatroom Girl') or crunching out a riff that would grace any Free or Led Zeppelin album ('Helping Hand' and the glorious 'Collingwood'). He's a great blues player though, quite capable of producing a tender solo of immaculate timing and phrasing or exploding into an intense fury, as he does quite brilliantly on the chugging boogie of album highlight 'My Heart Is True'. Great playing? He's in the form of his life.

Thea Gilmore - Avalanche
Hungry Dog Records YRGNUHA7 Reviewed by RP
Hot on the heels of a top forty CD single, 'Juliet', (it's number 6 in the independent chart as I write) comes Thea's fifth genre bending album, Avalanche. At the tender age of twenty-three she possesses deeper insight, sharper wit and a greater willingness to open out her heart in a poetic expression of the tensions which exist within it than most highly regarded singer-songwriters twice her years. Thea's words are unstoppable. Like an avalanche they just keep on coming until their powerful delivery and the sheer ice-wall weight of their conviction overcomes you. She appraises and eloquently despatches the sexual, ideological, philosophical and religious demons which in one form or another shape, inhibit or even imprison each and every one of us. The beautifully sung lyrical connections in lines like 'In bloody monochrome that's where I'll call my home' (Pirate Moon), or 'Well they sold you back your outrage in a neat little shrink-wrap' taken from the title track are resonant images that grate, twist or jar against our expectations. Twelve transparent mixes such as that for 'You accessorise with bruises on your cheek' (Juliet) reinforces both the barbed observations and softer musings with their instrumental textures in this her most sophisticated production to date.

The Waifs - Up All Night
Jarrah Records WAIFSCD005 Reviewed by AH
The Waifs are a trio from Albany, Western Australia who are beginning to take the Folk / Americana arena by storm. They recently played to packed tents at the Cambridge Folk Festival. None other than Bob Dylan was so impressed when they opened some Oz dates for him that he asked them to accompany him on his U.S. tour. Like their good friends The Be Good Tanyas, The Waifs have three excellent singers; Sisters Vikki and Donna Simpson and Joshua Cunningham, who also happens to be an absolute whiz on acoustic guitar and dobro (witness his blistering fretwork on 'Since I've Been Around'). All of Up All Nights 12 tracks are written by the three band members and the line up is fleshed out with Ben Franks on bass and David Macdonald behind the drum kit. The song writing is of an incredibly high standard, the lyrics are thoughtful, the harmonies utterly delicious and the playing to a standard I haven't heard since Emmylou Harris unleashed her hot band on us way back in Elite Hotel days. One of the sisters (I'm not sure which) has a Southern American drawl to her voice, making her sound like Lucinda Williams 'Little Sister: For comparisons, think The McGarrigles meets The Be Good Tanyas meets The Indigo Girls. Quite breathtaking.

Rick Vito - Band - Box - Boogie
Hypertension Hyp 3221 Reviewed by AH
There is no doubt that if you're a serious record buyer, somewhere in your collection you will have an album featuring Rick Vito's amazing guitar playing. You might have Bonnie Raitt's Green Light, Fleetwood Mac's Tango In The Night, Lawyers In Love by Jackson Browne or Bob Seger's Like a Rock. As well as featuring on many more classic albums Vito has toured with all the giants and is held in the highest esteem by his fellow musicians, not just for his guitar prowess but also his production skills and the ability to write a class tune. Only recently he picked up a WC Handy Award for best blues song, the rocking 'It's 2 am', by up and coming star Shemekia Copeland. Rick's last album Crazy Cool was a fine affair, all swampy blues and rootsy rock with plenty of his trademark fiery slide playing, but this time around he's opted for a more swinging approach. He's not the first artist to go with that jumpin' Jack jive groove - Brian Setzer reinvented his career with his big band album The Dirty Boogie a few years back. Band -Box - Boogie comes with a batch of classy Vito compositions and a song by Big Town Playboys front man Mike Sanchez, and it's that band's rock n' rollin' jumpin' jive that this fine album most closely resembles.

Tony Joe White - Snakey
Munich Records MRCD 241 Reviewed by RP
Available in this months magazine
Supplier: The Cherished Record Company - www.cherished-record-company.co.uk
(44)(0)1579 363603

Kid Loco - A grand love story
East West / Yellow Productions 3984-208052 Reviewed by MC
Available in this months magazine

Gillian Welch - SouI Journey
Acony 50466 6868 2 Reviewed by RP
Available in this months magazine
Supplier: The Cherished Record Company - www.cherished-record-company.co.uk
(44)(0)1579 363603

Super Furry Animals - Phantom Power
Epic 512375 2 Reviewed by MC
Available in this months magazine

Jackson Browne - The Naked Ride Home
Elektra 7559-62793-2 Reviewed by RP
Available in this months magazine
Supplier: The Cherished Record Company - www.cherished-record-company.co.uk
(44)(0)1579 363603

Cassandra Wilson - Belly Of The Sun
Blue Note 7243 6 36072 2 0 Reviewed by RP
Available in this months magazine

Ana Popovic - Comfort To The Soul
RUF Records RUF 1081 Reviewed by AH
Available in this months magazine

Badly Drawn Boy - The Hour Of Bewilderbeast
Twisted Nerve XL Recordings TNXL LP 133 Reviewed by RP
Available in this months magazine
Supplier: Vivante - www.vivante.co.uk (44)(0)1293-822186

Lucinda Williams - World Without Tears
Lost Highway 170 355-2 Reviewed by RP
Available in this months magazine
Supplier: The Cherished Record Company - www.cherished-record-company.co.uk
(44)(0)1579 363603

Toni Lynn Washington - Been So Long
Northern Blues NBM0016 Reviewed by AH
Available in this months magazine

Eddi Reader - Simple Soul
Rough Trade Records rtradecd 011 Reviewed by RP
Available in this months magazine

Counting Crows - Hard Candy
Geffen Records 493 560-2 Reviewed by RP
Available in this months magazine
Supplier: The Cherished Record Company - www.cherished-record-company.co.uk
(44)(0)1579 363603

Brassy - Got it made
Wiiija Records WIJCD1111

Brassy - Getting Wise
Wiiija Records WIJCD1131 Reviewed by MC
Available in this months magazine

Got it made

Getting Wise

Richard Thompson - 1000 Years of Popular Music
Beeswing BSWO03 Reviewed by DD
Hot on the heels of his superb mainstream release The Old Kit Bog, this live set is only available care of the web or at Thompson's gigs. The concept stems from Thompson's literal interpretation of a request from Playboy magazine to submit a list of the 10 greatest songs of the Millennium. He duly called their bluff and submitted a real thousand-year selection. Needless to say it wasn't published but from it was born the concept for a concert that he's performed occasionally over the last couple of years and has finally been captured here. Accompanied by Michael Jerome, percussion, and Judith Owen, vocals, this is a total delight from start to finish. Kicking off with 'Summer is Icumen In' and taking in songs as diverse as 'Shenandoah', and Gilbert and Sullivan's 'There Is Beauty', it doesn't stop there. How about 'Drinking Wine Spo-dee-odee'. Throw in a version of Prince's 'Kiss' (can't be done on acoustic guitar? Oh yes it can!), and even Abba's 'Money and no one could possibly feel short-changed. Thompson's understated virtuosity is evident as he brings this ludicrously varied selection to life with just his acoustic guitar, Jerome's driving percussion and Owens occasional vocal support to bring each and every one of these 22 numbers to life. This is the next best thing to being one of the lucky souls who've enjoyed this set live.
Supplier: www.richardthompson-music.com

Gerry Mulligan and Thelonius Monk - Mulligan Meets Monk
JVC XRCD 0032-2 Reviewed by DD
Not the most likely of pairings, Monk being a key and highly individualistic member of the bop school with his angular choppy rhythms, and Mulligan exemplifying cool jazz with his warm toned, relaxed baritone. The set works surprisingly well though. Inevitably kicking off with 'Round Midnight' Monk contributes restrained and very sympathetic piano to Mulligan's sax. The pair take a superbly laid back approach extending the number to over eight minutes not a second of which is wasted. They work just as well on faster paced stuff like 'Rhythm-a-ing' and 'Decidedly' with Monk giving plenty of space for Mulligan to stretch out in some great solo's. This issue features three bonus tracks, 'Decidedly (take 5)', 'Straight no Chaser' (take 1), and 'I Mean You' (take 2). The former is definitely the best version and missed out on the original album simply because during the recording the newfangled stereo equipment failed, leaving take 4 as the version on the original stereo release. Produced by Orrin Keepnews and recorded in New York in 1957, JVC have done a great job with this. It's decidedly hard left (Monk), centre (Wilber Ware, bass & Shadow Wilson, drums) and right (Mulligan), but the instruments are full-bodied, with the nuances of each performer's playing well captured. This is a highly enjoyable set and a very welcome issue on XRCD.
Supplier: Vivante - www.vivante.co.uk (44)(0)1293-822186

McCoy Tyner - Echoes Of A Friend
JVC XRCD24 VICJ 61038 Reviewed by DD
Available in this months magazine
Supplier: Vivante - www.vivante.co.uk (44)(0)1293-822186

Art Pepper - Landscape - Live in Tokyo '79
NC XRCD24 VIC) 61035-1 Reviewed by DD
Available in this months magazine
Supplier: Vivante - www.vivante.co.uk (44)(0)1293-822186

Salena Jones - My Love
JVCXRCD24 VICJ 61034 Reviewed by RG
Available in this months magazine
Supplier: Vivante - www.vivante.co.uk (44)(0)1293-822186

John Moulder and Ken Hall - Spirit Talk
Naimcd071 Reviewed by DD
Available in this months magazine
Supplier: Naim - www.naim-audio.com

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