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Pop
and Contemporary Music |
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Jane
Siberry - Teenager
Sheeba Records Sheeb 1 Reviewed
by RP
Canadian singer-songwriter Jane Siberry is the kind of musician that I
have plenty of time for. She is a fiercely independent, enterprising and
individual voice who has since the early 1980s crafted a unique body of
work that falls squarely within an "Americana" category. I freely admit
to having trouble with albums like the Juno nominated Hush. The reworking
of traditional songs and spirituals like 'Streets of Laredo' and 'Sweet
Chariot' with a double layered new age style vocal twist was too sweet
for my tastes. So I have instead chosen the first release on her own Sheeba
Records label for review. Teenager is a folk album that revisits the songs
she had written during those formative years and only felt able to record
as she neared her forties. Yes these are exceptionally personal and quite
intimate vignettes. There is no escaping the warm recollections of 'Oh
My Sister' or 'Song To My Father' but it is a sense of innocence rather
than youthful naivety that permeates them. Others like 'Angel Voyeur',
'Trumpeter Swan', 'When Spring Comes', and 'The Long Pirouette' (an incredibly
cinematic song about skating) are heavily draped with poetic imagery.
The simplicity of their arrangements for guitar, piano and vocals lets
the beautifully flowing language breathe without clouding their meanings
with unnecessary and intrusive instrumental mixes. Youth perfectly tempered
by maturity. |
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Seaman
Dan - Perfect Pearl
Hot Records HOT 1094 Reviewed
by RP
Torres Strait pearl diver and Australian fishing industry veteran, Seaman
Dan breezes in with an album of laid back ballads that reflects the gentle
pace of Polynesian island life in another celebration of its cultural
and musical diversity. His sun-tinged lyrics and that languid warmth of
the vocal line has a syrupy sweetness that suits the maritime themes of
'Watching the Weather', 'Minna Murra Moon', 'Going back Home', the title
track and 'Magic Carpet of Pearls'. Dan is simply an old fashioned crooner
mining a lifetime of experiences for these exquisite insights and irresistible
moments of local colour whether its working aboard the luggers, fishing
off the reefs or watching the brightly lit passenger ships make harbour.
Yes, this invites us upon a singular and affectionate journey, with its
lightly textured jazzy rhythms gyrating to a Hula beat, but this rootsy
twelve-track disc does occupy a distinct musical niche and soaking up
its rich guitar-based melodies offers unique pleasures. In the process
arrangements featuring ukulele, banjo, accordion and bamboo flute atmospherically
galvanises those idyllic island-hoping images drawing out unqualified
joy and contentment from an earlier less complicated age.
Supplier: www.hotrecords.uk.com |
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Bobby
Charles - Last Train To Memphis
Proper Records PRPCD016 Reviewed
by AH
Bobby Charles might prefer to shun the limelight but the same can't be
said for his timeless songs. This man has penned classics like 'See You
Later Alligator', 'Walking To New Orleans, and 'I Don't Know Why I Love
You, But I Do'. Million sellers for other artists and a healthy pension
for Mr Charles. This fabulous collection is a double CD; disc one has
15 previously un-issued recordings and disc two contains 19 tracks handpicked
by Charles himself and all culled from 3 previous albums. The packaging
is absolutely gorgeous and comes with an informative booklet detailing
the musical personnel - and what an amazing list of names it is! Neil
Young, Fats Domino, Sonny Landreth, Maria Muldaur, Geoff Muldaur, Willie
Nelson, Clarence 'Frogman' Henry and Delbert McClinton all drop by to
lend their considerable talents to this project. One of the constant highlights
is the exquisite playing of Sonny Landreth, who definitely exists on a
different planet when it comes to emotion soaked slide guitar - the solo
on 'The Jealous Kind' is so good it defies description. Charles doesn't
have great range to his voice but it does have an endearing quality, sounding
something like a cross between Ray Charles and Waylon Jennings. All in
all, Last Train To Memphis represents a fine retrospective of this reclusive
singer/songwriter, and as it's packaged at a single disc price, fantastic
value for money. |
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Woody
Herman - Blues In The Night
Hitchcock Media CD-0303 Reviewed
by RP
Live big band jazz is invariably something special. When it’s Woody
Herman and his Thundering Herd you have every right to expect an electrifying
and adrenaline filled concert and Blues In The Night does not disappoint.
Recorded for WAZE Radio at the Ft. Harrison Hotel, Clearwater, Florida
in front of a small but appreciative crowd on the evenings of April 25th
& 26th 1971 it opens with the slow burning signature tune ‘Blue
Flame’. Then moves seamlessly to the livelier ‘Keep On Keepin’
On’ and ‘Adam’s Apple’ in which a core group of
original band members and all the new blood excel. There are generous
solo opportunities too like that for trombonist Bobby Burgess on Alan
Broadbent’s ‘Love In Silent Amber’ and of course cementing
the whole thing together is Woody directing the
Herd and playing clarinet, alto and soprano saxes. Half way through in
a lovely intimate moment Herman addresses the audience giving a priceless
reminiscence about Igor Stravinsky, his Ebony Concerto and that great
composer’s relationship to Woody and the jazz swing band movement.
Like those marvellously swinging and spirit raising tunes this is compelling
and insightful entertainment. |
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Sharon
Shannon - Libertango
Independent Records IRL001 Reviewed
by RP
Irish accordionist Sharon Shannon has with Libertango created an album
whose distant Celtic roots have become intertwined with musical influences
from across the globe. True, certain tracks like a jaunty Duncan’s,
or an Irish-American Hogs and Heifers and the traditional ‘Anachie
Gordon’ and chanting ‘Seven Rejoices of Mary’ that features
Sinead O’Connor, retain their identities through the scoring for
mandolin, fiddle and low whistles. But elsewhere there is sometimes a
kind of "Buena Vista Meets County Clare" feel to this music
that doesn’t quite gel. I am thinking of the late Kirsty MacColl
who lends her vocals to the Latin flavoured title track and an Egyptian
singer Roisin Elasafty (and family) who deliver a highly political song,
‘An Phailistin’, that
charts the Palestinian people’s suffering over the past fifty years.
A daring arrangement of Peter Greenwood’s ‘Albatross’
probably won’t win over too many converts either but you still have
to admire their ambition and execution in this song. Shannon, though,
is definitely at her best when she taps back into those home spun tunes
of ‘The Wishing Well’, or a humorous and waltzing ‘Burst
Mattress’. A disc for the devotee that might just
be worth an entrance fee for the beautiful singing of Pauline Scanlon
on the Jimmy Spillane penned ‘All The Ways You Wander’.
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Grace
Griffith - Sands of Time
Blix Street Records G2-10078 Reviewed
by AH
Way before Eva Cassidy became a star, she could be found at many of Grace
Griffiths’ concerts, an adoring fan who appreciated the spiritual
beauty of this supremely talented singer. Grace became aware of who she
was and could later be found amongst the crowds at Cassidy’s concerts,
eventually recommending her to the production team at Blix Street Records
… The rest , as they say, is history. For Sands Of Time Grace has
linked up with Eva’s producers Chris Blondo and Lenny Williams,
along with instrumentalist Marcy Marxer. Don’t make the mistake
of thinking this is just an attempt to recreate the Cassidy sound though
– it’s not.
Although Griffiths’ music shares an intimacy and warmth found in
Eva’s, the two are markedly different. Grace doesn’t have
the power that Cassidy had but she has a purity and deftness of touch
that taps into your senses, and she paints masterpieces with her voice.
The ethereal drift on ‘Almost Like Being In Love’ as it wafts
through your emotions on a heady mix of electric bass, congas and guitar,
and ‘Rebirth’ (A 1000 year old Vietnamese poem) is hauntingly
beautiful and worth the admission price alone. Listening to Grace Griffiths
sing can be
likened to the sound of a wave caressing the shore on a warm summer’s
evening – it takes you to a place of soothing tranquillity and indescribable
beauty. She’s a singer who rings the bells of heaven.
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Doc
Watson - Home again
Cisco Vanguard VSD 79239 Reviewed
by RSF
Many Watson afficionados would argue
Southbound - Vanguard vsd 79213 - to be his
stronger album, but I have great affection for home
again. Fortunately whichever you prefer, both
of these 1966 records have been given superb
treatment by the folks at Cisco Music and I am
grateful to have them on ultra clean quiet pressings.
This is country/folk/bluegrass at its' authentic best.
Watson can sing without any accompaniment as is
demonstrated on the opening cut of side one,
'Down In The Valley To Pray'.
Watson's unique style is quite infectious and there
is no doubt this man's a genius. He learned to play
banjo from his father and even though he's been
blind since the age of one, it all makes sense when
your thoughts turn to the blind minstrels of the late
19th and early 20th centuries. He's still with us and
is approximately 80 years old!
Sometimes we get stuck in the types of music we
listen to and I'm glad Cisco has released these to
remind me, and I hope others, what a diverse world
of recorded history is available.
Sonically and musically this album does everything
right and nothing wrong. If you have the slightest
feeling this may be your cup of tea, rush to your
nearest retailer and buy Home Again... and while
you're at it, pick up Southbound also. You won't
be sorry. |
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Flamin'
Groovies - Flamingo
Buddha Records: 74321716912 Reviewed
by AH
Jagger and Richards justifiably hold down a place
in rock 'n roll history, as do Daltrey and Townsend
and Tyler and Perry, but two names that never get
mentioned in the same breath are Cyril Jordan and
Roy Loney, the chief songwriting partnership in
San Francisco rock legends the Flamin' Groovies.
Formed in 1965, it took a while before the
Groovies hit their creative stride with this
marvellous album and the equally brilliant follow
up Teenage Head. When vinyl was the chief format
these two albums were often packaged as a double
header, and at one point even had Keith Richards
proclaiming them to be better than the Stones'
own masterpiece Exile On Main Street.
The Groovies weren't into fancy recording tricks,
they preferred to go into the studio and get the
job done fast, and they cut this little baby in five
days flat! It's raw, unpretentious, earthy rock n' roll
with a rich melodic groove and with its foot firmly
to the floor, the mood only interrupted by the
psychedelic trippiness of 'She's Falling Apart' and
the countrified 'Childhood's End'.
This welcome re-issue contains the original 10 asskickin'
tracks and adds a further 6 bonus tracks
that were left over from the Teenage Head
sessions. The re-mastering is of the highest quality
so don't delay - get down to your record store and
purchase this and Teenage Head before they
withdraw them again. |
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Ditch
Croaker - Secrets of the Mule
Fine Corinthian Records COR 007 Reviewed
by RP
Ditch Croaker are a noise rock trio formed in
Hoboken, New Jersey in 1992, whose sound is
built around the three "Timothys": Tim Barnes
on drums, Tim Floyd playing bass and keyboards
and Tim Newman strumming guitar. All of them
provide suitably grungy vocal support for songs
with titles like 'Meat Grinder', 'Angry Wino',
'Library Shrine' and 'Riverside Estrangement'
that promise much but deliver very little lyrical
substance beneath these headlines. Secrets
Of The Mule (1996) was their first album proper
following hard on the trail of their cult debut
EP Chimpfactor which gained credence in some
circles with the track, 'Monkey Wild'. But as this
coarse-grained brand of musicianship and those
raw and undisciplined voices annihilate every
melodic or harmonic opportunity you have to
ask yourself why a record of this kind appears
on 180g vinyl. A gritty sounding flexi-disc
would be much more in keeping with their
particular brand of angst. Yes, they enjoy
themselves, but no amount of enthusiasm
can make up for its musical and technical
shortcomings. As a latter day philosopher was
once heard to remark, "You can't polish a turd". |
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Mary
Chapin Carpenter - Between Here and Gone
Columbia 5172132 Reviewed
by AH
Ten Albums on and fifteen years in the business
and we're still waiting for the definitive Mary
Chapin Carpenter album. Every release brings a
cluster of treasures but she never seems to keep it
going for the length of the record.
Between Here and Gone gets off to a mediocre
start with two mid-paced country rockers before
Carpenter begins to hit her stride with the
plaintive 'My Heaven'. Following hard on its heels is
'Goodnight America', One of those "I don't belong
here, I don't belong anywhere" ballads she does so
well, and then comes the title track; A song asking
the question 'Where are we from and where are we
going to? ' Beautifully sung, it's one of Carpenter's
finest moments.
Fingerpicked acoustics and brushed drums roll
gently through 'One Small Heart', an ebb and flow
ballad which fades out on some gorgeous guitar
interplay between Mary, John Jennings and Dean
Parks. 'Beautiful Racket' kicks harder than anything
Carpenter's done before but I think the quieter
approach suits her better, as it does on the sublime
'Grand Central Station', a jewel of a ballad with
a lush, highly memorable chorus. So, she does it
again; 12 tracks presented, of which seven or eight
are of the highest quality and the others just make
up the numbers. I guess we'll have to wait for album
number 11 to see if she finally breaks the mould. |
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Eliza
Gilkyson - Land Of Milk And Honey
Red House Records RHR CD174 Reviewed
by RG
Ever wondered what happened to the great
American tradition of protest singing. In the wake
of 9/11, Afghanistan and Iraq, US writers and
singers seem to have been cowed by the
accusation that to criticize is unpatriotic, even
subversive. Just witness the reaction to Michael
Moore. Suddenly, the traditionally liberal arts
community seem to be falling over themselves to
demonstrate just how down-home American they
really are - at a time when the US is jarringly out
of step with World opinion and needs them (and
their observations) like never before.
That's the background to this, the sixth album
from Eliza Gilkyson. But this is no anguished or
persecuted anti-war rant. This is a document of
the American condition; that looks inside America
for answers. Along the way it deals with not just
the current xenophobia, but wider issues too:
social justice, being a woman alone as the years
creep by, love and loss in the face of experience.
The result is a strikingly rounded and thoughtful
appreciation of the States she finds herself in. The
powerful lyrics are front and centre, sung with
the deceptive, steel cored delicacy that marks
Gilkyson's voice. But it's their combination with
the range and beauty of the music that makes the
music so affecting. A remarkable piece of work,
you'll not hear a better album this year. |
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Josh
Ritter - Hello Starling
Setanta SETCD 138 Reviewed
by AH
Just 27 years old, Josh Ritter sounds like a
seasoned veteran with a 10 album back catalogue,
such is the assuredness and quality of his songwriting.
Born in the late 70's to neuro-scientist
parents, Ritter was more into sport than music in
his formative years … until he discovered 'Nashville
Skyline'. "Hearing that record the first time was
like meeting the person you know you're going to
marry" was how he described the experience in a
recent interview. He was also quick to describe the
effect Nick Drake had on his music. "I'm the first
to admit that I owe a debt to so many musicians,
and Nick Drake is one of them" he muses, adding
"While I'm not a fan of all his songs, he really
tapped into something pretty…" Josh Ritter taps
into something pretty damn good too; this second
album is full of thoughtful, introspective songs
that display a remarkable maturity. 'You Don't
Make It Easy Babe' would sit comfortably
alongside any of the songs on those early Bob
Dylan albums, as would 'Rainslicker' and the
terrific 'Wings', a track Joan Baez recorded on her
recent covers collection. After one of the songs
from his previous album charted in Ireland he
become an overnight cult celebrity, and even has
his very own tribute band in Cork. Some people
are born to be stars and Josh is one of them.
World domination beckons. |
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Patti
Smith - Land (1975 - 2002)
Arista 07822 14708 2 Reviewed
by RG
It's 1978 and Patti sings 'Because The Night' and
the world of rock will never be the same again.
This is woman with power, confident in her self
and her majesty. The album Easter is a triumph,
but it's a pinnacle based on the striking
foundations laid three years earlier with Horses.
Smith, raw and abrasive, devoid of artifice and
illusion yet disturbingly sexual was riding the
alternative wave that would blossom into punk. It
was a female persona and voice that was to
evolve and develop, first as far as Easter and then
far beyond, until the present day. Patti has a new
album out, just as challenging and arresting as her
others. But before you visit it, stop here first.
Land is a double album that covers the first 27
years of her recorded output. Disc 1 has 17 tracks
embracing what might be termed (at risk of the
Trade Discriptions Act) her greatest hits. But once
you get past the familiar it's Disc 2 that's the
more intriguing. 13 tracks, mainly live recordings,
chosen by Smith herself to represent her art.
Alongside the hits ('Because…', 'Gloria', 'Ghost
Dance' and a stunning cover of 'When Doves
Cry') you can discover 'Piss Factory', 'Higher
Learning' and the astonishing 'Dead City'. Parental
advisory? Absolutely: every parent should ensure
regular exposure. That'll sort out the Christinas
and Britneys! |
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