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David Sylvian - Blemish
Samadhisound sound-cd 0001 Reviewed by RP
Denuded guitar strings, minimalist electronica and a closely miked vibrato voice often placed over the top of layered and reverberating feedback tones actually achieves delicate moments of intimacy on this avant-jazz work from the ex-Japan vocalist, David Sylvian. His deliberate yet rich and almost mantra-like enunciations on the title-track are very effective. They deal with love’s darker emotions where the truth is compared to a blemish on the skin. It also provides a telling counterpoint to those nagging and disquieting arrangements which worry away at this and other extremely personal topics. There is something quite confessional and introspective about these songs. So much so that I came away feeling like a voyeur and being put in that position is more than just a little unsettling. Elsewhere ‘The Good Son’ offers an ironic twist in its “return of the prodigal” subject matter and the pared back and exposed nature of its acoustic wrings out the emotional honesty which lies at the root of this and the seven other songs on Blemish. Later the wistful melody and stretched harmonics of a track like ‘A Fire In The Forest’ ratchet up the intensity even further but I still can’t help feeling that this is the loneliest and most reclusive music making that I’ve heard in a long time.

J J Cale - To Tulsa And Back
Capitol 5788262 Reviewed by AH
Once he had decided to make a new album J J Cale went back to Tulsa, Oklahoma (his birthplace) and looked up old friend and ex- Bob Seger drummer David Teegarden – as well as some other old friends he grew up with – and booked himself some studio time. The recording sessions were a relaxed affair, but then what else would you expect from the king of the lazy groove?
The musicians featured in those sessions were guys Cale used to play and record with over 40 years ago. “I don’t think there’s anyone on this record who’s under 60 years old” he recalls on the press release. To Tulsa And Back is Cale’s first studio recording in eight years, and might very well be his finest. That laid back, trademark sound of his is well to the fore; it’s a style that’s influenced a host of artists from Lynyrd Skynyrd to Dire Straits, and especially Eric Clapton. This time Cale has expanded his lyrical repertoire to include social and environmental issues, something we all need to be aware of in these tangled, dangerous times. On ‘The Problem’, a brushed drum country shuffle, he has a dig at George Bush, leaving us in no doubt about how he feels when it comes to the man in charge of the USA right now. Musically, To Tulsa And Back doesn’t break any new ground, but you know what they say; If it ain’t broke…

Lori McKenna - Bittertown
Continental Song City CSCCD1034 Reviewed by AH
Lori McKenna is not your typical rock star. She lives in a small house in an unassuming town with her plumber husband and five children. The Ford minivan she drives doubles as the tour bus! She has had considerable success with her first three albums but it’s this one that’s set to catapult her into the premier league of singer/songwriters.
Bittertown is full of wry observations on life in a small town; it’s her Darkness On The Edge Of Town, a Scarecrow for the 21st century. “No strangers in this town, no one moves without making a sound, live and die within the borders and lines, no one dies without paying their fines” she sings on ‘Bible Song’, as good a tune about the oppressiveness of community life as I’ve ever heard in a very long time.
This is a woman with vision, a poet who paints vivid images through her magnificent ability with words, an artist who sees in minute detail and is able to convey the feelings of ordinary folk and turn them into songs of quite timeless beauty. All 13 songs on this remarkable album are like works on canvas. Rarely have I heard an artist who has talent to convey the mundanities of everyday life the way that this girl can.
It wouldn’t surprise me to see Bittertown appearing on lots of reviewers’ album of the year lists – It’ll certainly be on mine.

Los Lobos - The Ride
Hollywood Records LC10022 Reviewed by AH
Los Lobos have been recording for a few decades now and have amassed an excellent back catalogue of supremely crafted albums spanning a wide variety of styles, from Tex-Mex and Blues to Country and full-on Rock. It wouldn’t be unfair to call them Godfathers of Americana, a band who have influenced many artists and opened doors for many more. The Ride is their latest project, a collaboration with many of their friends in the business, and unlike a lot of these all star projects it works exceedingly well. Some of the artists guesting here recorded at Cesar Rosa’s home studio and others – like Elvis Costello and Tom Waits – corresponded from various parts of the globe. Elvis Costello laid down his vocal for ‘Matter Of Time’ in a church in Oslo, Norway and then shipped the tapes to Los Lobos in Los Angeles for fine tuning.
The performance he gives here is amongst the very best of his long and distinguished career, he sounds like he’s been a member of Los Lobos from day one. The same can be said for ex-Blaster Dave Alvin and his contribution to lovely ballad ‘Somewhere In Time’, and also for Mavis Staples, who infuses ‘Someday’ with lashings of liquefied soul. Other guests lending their talents to this fine project are Richard Thompson, Bobby Womack, Ruben Blades and influential Mexican-American rocker Little Willie G.

Kathryn Williams - Relations
Caw Records 5050467216655 Reviewed by RP
An album of cover versions can be the mark of a performer’s consummate self-confidence or their last redoubt before that lonely retreat into creative bankruptcy. Fortunately Kathryn Williams delivers affectionate enough renditions of songs by the likes of Lou Reed (Candy Says), Neil Young (Birds), Lee Hazelwood (Easy And Me) and Leonard Cohen (Hallelujah) to more than suggest that the latter is the case here. She concentrates on what she does best - the natural warmth and delicacy in her vocals (sometimes double tracked) and the characteristic string arrangements behind acoustic and electric guitars that have given her previous albums that airy sense of intimacy are once again brought to the fore. All very nicely produced by Kathryn. This approach does gloss over the dirty half-light of a dark and gritty world inhabited by Kurt Cobain’s ‘All Apologies’ and the Stephen Malkmus penned ‘Spit On A Stranger’. Nor does she entirely recapture the contrasting despair and moments of elation in Lou Reed’s transsexual tale.
Though the recording of ‘Hallelujah’ and ‘These Days’ (Jackson Browne) which were taped live at the Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre does inadvertently introduce a degree of coarseness as the top end of the vocals becomes a little ragged at times. Overall, Relations is still a collection of carefully chosen and thoughtfully put together music.

Ikara Colt - modern apprentice
Fantastic Plastic FPCD009 Reviewed by MC
Ikara Colt have gone through a few changes since 2002’s Chat and Business, replacing their bassist and receiving a hefty injection of style.
They still draw heavily on bands such as the Who and the Fall, borrowing both their aggression and attitude, as well as their musical signatures. Lead singer Paul could easily pass for Mark E Smith from a casual listen, two years experience having added more than a cursory drop of cynicism and bite to his voice. And the same thing could be said for the whole album. This is the sound of a tighter band, older and wiser. With the new bassist in place the rhythm section is now as tight as the songs demand, allowing the guitar and vocals to punch out their staccato lead. And punch they do, driving the songs forward with military pace, 12 songs in 34 minutes, blink and you miss it.
This is an album of contradictions. Having cleaned up their production and tightened their belts Ikara Colt have produced a much more professional record. But they have done so without once compromising their sound: this is still a seriously difficult album to listen to. modern apprentice is just as spiky as their debut, more commercial, but just as ambitious. Loud, shouty and offensive to the ears. Superb.

Holly Golightly - Truly She Is None Other
Damaged Goods DAMGOOD 213-LP Reviewed by RP
Holly Golightly (her real name!) is one of the better singer songwriters to come out of the “wild” Billy Childish academy in the 1990s. (You may remember the review several months back of his raucous and quite abrasive album, 1914.) Well, Holly has moved away from the girl group and three-chord garage-rock sound that characterised her work ten years ago and instead for Truly She Is None Other she now ploughs a Sixties styled groove that shamelessly taps into skiffle and the rock & roll beats of yesteryear. Consequently, her covers of the Ray Davies tracks ‘Time Will Tell’ and ‘Tell Me Now So I Know’ now sit comfortably alongside her own songs like ‘Walk A Mile or She Said’. While elsewhere ‘Black Night’ is the track that reveals a folk-blues dimension within Miss Golightly’s music. Oddly enough Liam Watson’s low-tech production and the scuffed up engineering by Ed Deegan kind of compliments these uncomplicated and lightly driven guitarbased arrangements which are fleshed out with some scoring for percussion and double bass. Holly Golightly may not be the most naturally gifted singer, nor is her writing in the same league as those of say a Thea Gilmore, but she’s a hard working, persistent and prolific performer whose relaxed and unassuming delivery is worth investigation.

Emmylou Harris - Stumble into Grace
Nonesuch 7559-79805-2 Reviewed by RP
Stumble into Grace is an album of reflective and haunting folk-based melancholia propelled by a contemporary percussive “Americana” groove.
Many of the songs, backed by the likes of Jane Siberry, Linda Rondstadt, Gillian Welch, Kate and Anna McGarrigle, concern themselves with loneliness, missed opportunities and the fickleness of loves won, lost and unrequited. There is a dignified and almost elegiac quality to these musings, untainted by bitterness. The bile is reserved for a condemnation of the selfish consumerism, political corruption and blatant and unrepentant superficiality of cosmetic surgery-this is the America of ‘Time in Babylon’. While the female victims of war, famine and pestilence - the rapes, the brutalisation and bloodshed - are remembered in the sad but beautifully mournful ‘Lost Unto This World’. It’s hymn-like title and structure sets up a telling and effective juxtaposition with this challenging subject matter.
Her tone here is heartfelt rather than overwrought and this gives the song even greater integrity. Even at fifty-seven, Emmylou’s creative vitality, intelligence and strong lyrical song writing shows little signs of wear. Any ingrained cynicism or those agonised ruminations of a tortured soul are put aside in this clear-sighted exploration of emotion and ideas.

Eric Clapton - Me and Mr. Johnson,
Classic Records/Reprise Records Reviewed by RSF
As a Clapton fan I’ve been eagerly anticipating this release. To hear the man going back to his roots has got to be an ear opener, and the roots don’t go much deeper than Robert Johnson.
So here I am enjoying the outstanding music, but still disappointed with what I am hearing. It’s the typical CD “compress and make it loud” treatment. Looking on the web, I discover that the music is available on LP. The choice was either a regular 120g release or its 200g big brother. I opted for the regular issue, and I must tell you I can’t imagine anything better. Here’s another fine example of an LP blowing the socks off a CD release. Classic has done us a great service by releasing this and I’ve had great difficulty taking it off my ‘table.
The music is extremely infectious, once you put this on you’ll be hooked. None of the songs are sung in the traditional fashion Robert Johnson would have delivered 75 years ago, but Clapton is to be commended for an excellent job of updating these classic masterpieces. The CD and LP contain 14 fabulous songs, several with some great accompaniment from Billy Preston and Jim Keltner amongst others. Excellent music, well played and sung with outstanding sound quality – but buy the LP. Top recommendation!

Joanna Newsom - The Milk-Eyed Mender
Drag City DC263 Reviewed by RP
Joanna Newsom is an exasperating musician. Her song writing and playing is that of a mature and intelligent woman but her eccentric and piercing vocal style is like no other I know - her singing could be compared to that of a precocious child with a rustic twist thrown in for good measure. Whether you find this brand of naivety charming or extremely irritating will be down to the individual. Yes, it establishes a pronounced contrast to the poetry, smart allusions and psychological probing which lies behind ‘Peach, Plum, Pear or Inflammatory Writ’. Certainly, the fragile images she creates and an inherent vulnerability within her delivery of these songs has its appeal but I think that this approach works best only with the gentle teasing and simple observations about pets (Sadie) or horticulture (Sprout and the Bean). When this careful embroidery grapples with the much more poetic subject matter of ‘Cassiopeia’, ‘Swansea’ and ‘This Side Of The Blue’ it comes up short. In support of this unique artistic vision though are Newsom’s sparse arrangements for harp, piano and harpsichord. If you can place the vocal delivery to one side then these instruments do beautifully illustrate her beautifully crafted lyrics.
Consequently, Joanna Newsom remains a frustrating dichotomy to me.

Laura Cantrell - The Hello Recordings
Spit & Polish SPIT 023 Reviewed by RP
Re-releases of older material can sometimes seem to be quite a hasty and undignified commercial exercise. Certainly the decision to spend eight quid on this five-track CD that offers less than fifteen minutes of music should not be taken lightly. It was first issued as a part of a series of promotional EPs for the subscription only “Hello CD of the Month Club” in 1996 and the production values have a suitably simple and uncomplicated feel to them. This does not seem out of place for Cantrell’s brand of country story telling in songs like ‘Cellar Door’ and ‘The Curse Of Hook Mountain’. The tempo for these and the second track here, ‘Roll Truck Roll’, is upbeat and the arrangements for guitars, mandolin (and in the case of ‘Hook Mountain’ a cello) gives them a more earthy and “backwoods” feel. ‘No Place For Me’ slows things down a little with its cow-eyed pathos and the concluding ‘Lee Harvey Was A Friend Of Mine’ which was taped live as a radio remote broadcast from a Havemeyer Street back porch in 1993 ruminates upon Oswald’s likely innocence. The recording of this track is about as clear as the events surrounding that November day in Dallas.
Definitely a disc for Laura Cantrell’s most ardent fans who will be interested to hear just how far she has come.

Lucinda Williams - World Without Tears
Lost Highway 088-170-355-1 Reviewed by RSF
There’s nothing I love more then seeing a sticker on an LP that states, “Double LP features two songs not available on CD.”
Lucinda Williams is an awesome talent. She is not only a superb singer and acoustic/electric guitar player, but a brilliant writer. All the songs on this album were written by Williams with the exception of ‘Hang down your head,’ one of the bonus tracks written by the great Tom Waits. Williams has been around since 1979 when her first album was released in the US on Folkways. Since then she has only released seven albums and in addition, three or so EPs. Her style has gone from blues to country to gospel to a mixture of all three, but I’d have to categorize this album as pretty strongly blues in nature.
Williams has a different vocal style, a little twang, a little Rickie Lee Jones, a little Janis Joplin, but when it’s all said and done . . . she is unique. There’s a strong touch of melancholy in some of these songs and you will certainly get the picture when you hear, ‘Those 3 days.’ Truly a wonderful talent and I hope you get as much enjoyment from these records as I have. Great songs, exceptionally well written and played with first class musicians. This is a winner from side one through side four.
Highly recommended.

Kings of Convenience - Riot on an Empty Street
Virgin Records 0724357166515 Reviewed by RP
The opening harmonies for ‘Homesick’ by the duo Eirik Glambek Boe and Erlend Oye are uncannily familiar; they take you back in time to those days when the softly focused and homogenised delivery of Simon & Garfunkel ruled the roost. This feeling is reinforced through the wistful scoring of the guitars, viola, cello, bow and upright bass on a twelve track LP that certainly spotlights the current strength and charming vitality which exists within the Norwegian folk scene. True, there are no earth shattering revelations in these songs. This Scandinavian pair are content to sing about common place experiences like the demystification of romance in ‘Love Is No Big Truth’, observations about poverty on ‘Stay Out Of Trouble’ or the ambiguities that can break a friendship with ‘Misread’. Are these dreamy, saccharine filled melodies too sweet? It’s a question that I’d answer with an equivocal, “maybe”. If S&G make you purr, then these boys are for you. They possess that same delicacy and an attractive lightness of touch that is then sympathetically captured and mixed with some subtlety by Davide Bertolini at the Grieghallen Studios.

Beth Nielsen Chapman - Look
Sanctuary Records SANCD 269 Reviewed by AH
In 1994 Beth Nielsen Chapman’s life was turned upside down with the death of her beloved husband from cancer. She poured all her grief into a remarkable album called Sand And Water. Far from being a morbid affair, Sand And Water became a touching and uplifting celebration of her late husband’s life and death, and it’s now often used as a healing accessory for grief. It will always be in my top 10 Desert Island Discs and is compulsory listening for any serious music fan.
The same can be said for Beth’s latest album Look. She’s such a master songwriter, she makes the artform look surprisingly easy. Opening track and current single ‘Trying To Love You’ Is a case in point; it tells of the struggle to believe in a higher power: “Trying to love you/I’ve screamed your name, I’ve Slammed a 1000 doors/Trying to love you/I’ve worn a million miles across the floor/Trying to love you/Still I can’t ignore, trying to love you”. The title song is going to become a standard, a lovely piano ballad with a lush string arrangement that Andy Williams or Tony Bennett are going to plead with her to cover. Look is Beth’s fifth album and she continues to work to the very highest standards. She’s such a special woman and this is a beautiful album, sung by a rare talent and a truly precious soul.

The Killers - Hot Fuss
Lizard King Records LIZARD011 Reviewed by MC
The past few months have seen scores of new releases from new talent. When the stack of new albums next to my hi-fi becomes unstable it is a sign of great things going on in the industry. The Killers are one of the latest of these bands, fresh faced and flushed from early chart success, their album certainly sounds the part. In common with most of these new bands The Killers sit somewhere between mainstream indie and guitar pop. It’s a good place from which to create something commercial, but notoriously difficult to create something outstanding…
The songs are well produced, catchy and gloriously simple to enjoy. And as each chorus goes past it becomes ever easier to see The Killers filling stadiums in a few years time. The Killers are a band groomed for the chart, and this record certainly seems packed with singles. But you can’t help but feel that perhaps this album lacks something. The Killers seem to have made a clutch of singles, and then pasted them together into an album with a handful of filler. Perhaps if their sights were set on the album chart, rather than the singles chart, this album might have been more accomplished.
Nevertheless, The Killers pack considerably more punch than most and once the singles kick in you’ll be hooked. Hot Fuss is instantly engaging, sharper, crisper and more focussed than the competition.

Hans Theesink - Bridges
Blue Groove BG1520 Reviewed by AH
I think it safe to use the word ‘Troubadour’ to describe Dutch blues master Hans Theesink (pronounced Tay-sink). He’s an artist constantly on the move, digesting various musical styles as he goes and incorporating them into a highly distinctive and enjoyable cocktail.
The Americans don’t take lightly to foreigners treading on their blues toes but they embrace Theesink totally, a fact born out by how many U.S. festivals he gets invited to and the positive response he receives when he plays them. None other than Bo Diddley describes him as “ A Helluva Guitar Player” and there’s plenty of evidence to back that statement up on this classy album. Theesink is also a fine singer who possesses a rich textured voice, an intoxicating mix of J.J. Cale’s gruff growl and Leonard Cohen’s deadpan delivery.
His style is country blues but he doesn’t adhere strictly to the genre’s guidelines; for example, Zambezi features a gentle reggae beat whilst the talented backing singers add rich African harmonies. Standout track is the 7-minute ‘Rain’, a Cale-Esque slow burner which allows Theesink the chance to show off his prowess on acoustic slide. Bridges is a winner from start to finish and comes as a hybrid SACD disc for those who have the playback technology. For the rest of us the recording is awesome anyway.

Eve Selis - Nothing But The Truth
Proper Music PRPCD017 Reviewed by AH
It’s amazing how some partnerships are formed – I’m sure not everything can be down to luck. For instance, take how Eve Selis and her guitarist and co-writer met. Mark ‘Twang’ Intravaia was on a flight to Spain and overheard Eve singing to herself on the seat behind him. From that ‘lucky’ meeting Mark and Eve have been writing and performing their songs ever since, garnering Rave reviews and a swelling fan base along the way.
It helps that Eve Selis has a voice of quite tremendous power and control; a mixture of lemonade and whisky, as one reviewer so succinctly put it. So what does she sound like? I’d describe her as a lethal mixture of Maria McKee, Trisha Yearwood and early Linda Ronstadt, all mixed up with a healthy dollop of Bonnie Rait. She’s raunchy right? You bet she is, but she’s not all force 10 hurricane, she can be tender and a heartbreaker too. Her version of Kim Richey’s ‘Those Words We Said’ will have you reaching for the Kleenex in double quick time, as will the Selis/Intravaia penned ‘Blame It On The Rain’.
However, what sets this girl apart from the rest is the way she attacks a damn good rock song, like raucous opener ‘Heart shaped tattoo’ or the swaggering ‘Honky Tonk Town’. Selis’ wheel of fortune is a freefall – I’m willing to bet she’ll be a big star by the end of the year.

Keane - Hopes and fears
Island Records CID8145 Reviewed by MC
I still find it hard to think about Keane without also thinking about The Delays. The two bands share so much in common: both come from the South coast, both produce light summer indie, both have taken recent excursions into the charts… and yet Keane seem to do it all so much better.
For a start, Keane have all the best the songs, and here I am not just talking about the singles, but the album tracks too, and that’s so important when creating a lasting record. For example, the recent hit ‘Somewhere only we know’ belts out a soaring chorus, carefully pacing the song, playing with dynamics, creating a superb shot of energy and emotion. But then later, in the lows of the album, they produce music which is thoughtful and introspective, slow but never dull. And then there is Tom Chaplin’s voice, which is skilfully used above the sweeping orchestration. Somehow Tom’s voice manages to avoid the soulless syrup of similar bands, and instead comes across slightly more rough, drawing the listener in. Keane tread a fine line on this record, almost producing yet another bland, also-ran album. But something naturally present in their music keeps it all on track, an innate sensitivity to the mood of a song. Whilst I wonder what albums they have yet to produce, their talent has certainly created a fine debut, worthy of a considered listen.

Ocean Colour Scene - North Atlantic Drift
Sanctuary Records SANLP 160 Reviewed by RP
Ocean Colour Scene began life as a kind of poor man’s Stone Roses meandering through the early 1990s with a largely undistinguished indie sound. Only after the endorsements of Noel Gallagher and Paul Weller and a couple of hit singles in ‘The Riverboat Song’ and ‘The Day We Caught The Train’ were they propelled along by a bow wave of moderate R&B success. Generally, though, their albums have lacked substance and focus and a “best of” collection, Songs From The Front Row (2001), saw them struggle to find material. Here, even the title North Atlantic Drift does suggest a rudderless absence of purpose and this search for a direction is not dispelled by an opening pair of derivative sounding rockers in ‘I Just Need Myself’ and a track about debt, ‘Oh Collector’. The mixes are lazy and elsewhere the string arrangements for ‘Make The Deal’ and ‘She’s Been Writing’ (even with the gloss of some Linda Thompson vocals) are uninspired. The additional scoring of trumpet, saxophone and trombone for ‘On My Ways’ can not disguise a loose attempt to flesh out this dull tale about escape after the abuse of women, leaving the whole album feeling like a series of afterthoughts.

The Cure - The Cure
Geffen Records 0602498628461 Reviewed by RP
The guitar-laden gothic splendour, a brooding melancholia and that atmosphere of foreboding, which characterised classic albums like Seventeen Seconds and Pornography, permeates many of the fifteen tracks cut for this new double LP. There’s the claustrophobic ‘Labyrinth’. The false hopes, repressed anguish and a slightly pitying tone stretched out before us in the longest of Robert Smith’s songs, ‘The Promise’. Then there are the precise and overflowing insights on the nature of desire that can be heard in ‘Truth, Goodness And Beauty’. While a poisonous internalisation of death carved from out of the fear, hate and paranoia in a track like ‘Us Or Them’ delivers a unique and quite morbid view of the motives and meanings behind our every action. It is another of those familiar Smith dissections that cut deeply into the human psyche. The sculptured lyricism and that distinctive musical architecture will raise the spirits of every hard core Cure fan as the ghosts of yesteryear resurface and resonate once again throughout this album. A couple of tracks even recall the more up beat and accessible music penned in the middle of the 1980s - a change in direction which made The Head On The Door such a commercial success.

Snow Patrol - Final Straw
A&M Records B0002271-02 Reviewed by MC
Snow Patrol are certainly fond of the grand gesture. This, their third album has more than a hint of the epic about it, and that seems to have brought them from obscurity, to take advantage of current trends in the charts. Final Straw is lyrically baffling, using mundane passages, split across bars and lines, so that the flow of the song is sometimes hard to follow. But characteristic brings a faltering pace to the songs that acts to heighten their emotion and add a sense of doubt. Render this with a superbly strong vocal talent and the result is always going to be exciting. Guitars are (unfortunately) pretty much straight rock standard, but the drumming is, at times, sublime. But what remains most striking about Final Straw is the production. Beautiful and sympathetic orchestration makes this album much broader than its peers. Indeed, the harder you listen to this album, the more detail comes forward, with layers of texture being revealed. The album is arranged strangely, forward biasing what is presumed to be the harder material. But it is when they stop trying to record three minute rock songs that Snow Patrol really shine, with a stunning four song set piece across the middle of the album that makes this record worth every penny. Snow Patrol have quietly been producing great music for some time now: perhaps it’s time you checked them out?

Paul Weller - Under The Influence
DMC UTILP003 Reviewed by RP
Under The Influence is a Paul Weller album in name only because it is simply a fifteen-track collection from a variety of sources that have effected Weller both emotionally and musically.
Some of these selections like Little Richard’s ‘Slippin’ And Slidin’’ or the Ray Davies penned tale of an innocent country girl being corrupted by city life in ‘Big Black Smoke’ and the Charles Mingus ‘Passions Of A Man’ are at least of academic interest. Others and I include Richie Havens ‘Handouts In The Rain’ from his recent Wishing Well album amongst them will have you searching the racks for more material from this new breed of songwriters. There are also some wonderfully funky grooves too in ‘Doobie To The Head’ Funkdoobiest) and ‘God Made Me Funky’ (The Headhunters) or that terrific root and branch reggae of Bob Marley & The Wailers in ‘Small Axe’.
They show the diversity behind Weller’s muse. Individual sounding and truly great vocalists such as Marvin Gaye (Pretty Little Baby) and from out of left field, John Holt with ‘Ali Baba’ come to the fore and terrific storytelling of course features strongly. But even with the wonderful gospel, blues and jazzy vocal textures of the Blind Boys Of Alabama this remains an inherently fragmented set.

Acoustic Triangle - Catalyst
Audio B ABCD 5015 Reviewed by DD
This is the second release from the trio and was recorded like their first album (Interaction) at St. George’s in Bristol. Blending melodic jazz with contemporary classical styles Acoustic Triangle have carved a unique niche for themselves. Malcolm Creese (bass) and Tim Garland (sax), are joined on piano by new member Gwilym Simcock. Featuring numbers from Simcock and Garland, the set also includes pieces from Kenny Wheeler, John Taylor, and Cole Porter. The opening number ‘In A Wonderful Place’ provides a gentle introduction with Garland’s fluid soprano sax lines underpinned by Simcock’s delicate and responsive playing. Garland’s ‘Beyond The City The Stars’ is a darker toned piece written in a rondo form very much in the classical tradition. Creese has an opportunity to shine in this and delivers a fine solo. It quickly becomes apparent that this set is not only an out-standing example of virtuoso musicianship, but a well-judged collection, offering overall unity yet allowing each track a distinctive atmosphere. Just take the achingly delicate soprano ‘Rosa Ballerina’ and set it against the jaunty, angular piano driving ‘Coffee Time’. My favourite and perhaps the most distinctively classical influenced of the set, is Simcock’s three part ‘Sea Suite’. This set is beautifully recorded, capturing the spacious acoustic of St. George’s and the distinctive tones of each instrument.
Supplier: Vivante - www.vivante.co.uk (44)(0)1293-822186

Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers - Moanin’
Classic / Blue Note 4003 Reviewed by DD
One of Jazz’s finest drummers, Blakey, along with Horace Silver formed the first version of the Jazz Messengers in 1954, trailblazing hard bop. This 1958 release sees Blakey accompanied by Benny Golson, Bobby Timmons, Jymie Merritt and notably by Lee Morgan. Golson wasn’t to stay long with the band, but did manage to contribute four numbers to the set: ‘Blues March’ along with ‘Along Came Betty’, ‘Are You Real’ and ‘Drum Thunder (miniature) Suite’ all of them to become staples of the Blakey repertoire. The latter track came about as a result of Blakey’s desire to play a piece based on the (explosive) use of mallets. The title says it all and the recording holds nothing back. ‘Blues March’ attempts to bring something of the feel of New Orleans marching bands to a more modern idiom. Driven by Blakey’s rolls and crisp fast marching beat and featuring some fine duets from the horns this succeeds admirably.
This is a uniformly strong album held firmly together by Blakey’s exuberant drumming providing a platform for strong soloing from the band. For me Morgan is the hero here, just listen to his superb work in ‘Come Rain Or Come Shine’.
Classic have done a great job with this heavyweight mono pressing which deserves a prime place in any serious jazz collection.
Supplier: Vivante - www.vivante.co.uk (44)(0)1293-822186

Dizzy Reece - Star Bright
Classic/ Blue Note 4023 Reviewed by DD
Reece took up the trumpet at 14, later moving to Europe including a six year stint in the UK where he regularly recorded, before returning to New York in 1959. His nickname stems from his schooldays and is nothing to do with Dizzy Gillespie. This album, recorded in November of ’59 sees him accompanied by the dream team of Hank Mobley, Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers and Art Taylor, and he doesn’t disappoint. The standout track on this strong album is ‘Groovesville’ a fast paced ad-libbed blues that brings the best solos of the album from Reece, Mobley and Kelly. The take on ‘I Wished Upon The Moon’ a number made popular by Billie Holiday 25 years before this recording, sees a slower pace and the chance for Reece to stretch out. He does this with aplomb and is followed by a lovely solo from Mobley both players then being eclipsed by Kelly’s rolling, melodic improvisations around the theme. The set closes with ‘Variations on Monk’, which demonstrates a subtle hint of Monk’s work with to quote the sleeve notes ‘a grace-notes a sixth lower effect at the end of each eight measures’. This number also features, at its very end, the only solo of the album from Art Taylor, a fittingly dynamic close to a fine, relaxed and highly enjoyable set that is done full justice in this essential re-issue from Classic.
Supplier: Vivante - www.vivante.co.uk (44)(0)1293-822186

Art Pepper - Besame Mucho - Live in Tokyo ‘79
JVC XRCD24 VICJ 61158 Reviewed by DD
From Pepper’s latter years, his powers were still undiminished at the time of this 1979 live session. Supported and inspired by a fine rhythm section comprising George Cables (piano), Tony Dumas (bass), and Billy Higgins (drums), Pepper was in great form for these sessions, that also delivered Landscape (VICJ 61035). The opener ‘Red Car’ powerfully sets the scene: Driven by Dumas’ bass, Pepper’s fluid, bright toned alto flies high and true.
This is followed by the ballad ‘The Shadow Of Your Smile’ with oh so gentle brush work from Higgins, offsetting a fuller toned meditation from Pepper. Cables delivers a lovely solo in this number too. The band also take on an extended (10 minute) version of Pepper’s ‘The Trip’ that is easily the equal of the original studio version, and a powerful ‘Mambo De La Pinta’. Pepper plays like he’s possessed and the band respond in true form laying down a Latin influenced backing that oozes energy and provides the runway for Pepper to offer some extraordinary high-altitude playing.
Higgins drum solo is also a treat in this number. 11 minutes of pure, joyful energy and worth the price of admission for this alone.
This is an outstanding and very well recorded set that along with its sister release Landscape should be considered an essential purchase.
Supplier: Vivante - www.vivante.co.uk (44)(0)1293-822186

Kenny Dorham - Afro-Cuban
Classic/ Blue Note 1535 Reviewed by DD
Side one features Dorham fronting an eight-piece band in the most overtly Afro-Cuban influenced numbers. These had previously been released as a 10” LP. The second side sees him leading a sextet in three numbers. Art Blakey provides his powerhouse drumming for both bands. Dorham was amongst the first bebop trumpeters with an ability to display great lyricism however fast the tempo. He also had a great feeling for blues playing, yet he was somewhat overshadowed in the ‘50’s by the likes of Clifford Brown despite being easily their equal. A listen to his remarkable fluid lines in ‘Basheer’s Dream’ should be enough to convince.
It’s the percussion that really drives the first side, Blakey ‘s work being complemented by frenetic congas from Cuban Carlos (Potato) Valdes. Horace Silver also features on both sides of the album, but keeps his playing pretty discreet on this first side, but a crisp, characterful and to-the-point solo in the medium paced ‘K.D.’s Motion’. With musicians of the calibre of Horace Silver, Art Blakey, Hank Mobley, Cecil Payne and Jay Jay Johnson, Dorham couldn’t have asked for finer support. They deliver their best and Dorham rises to the challenge. This is a great album which as an added bonus sports one of Blue Note’s finest sleeve designs.
Supplier: Vivante - www.vivante.co.uk (44)(0)1293-822186

The Ray Brown Trio - Soular Energy
Pure Audiophile PA-002 (2) Reviewed by DD
This preceded the excellent Like Minds release from Pure Audiophile that I reviewed in issue 30 and it’s another superb set. The sleeve warns ‘dynamic recording of bass may cause difficulties at low tracking forces’. Well this wasn’t a problem in this house but a dynamic recording of bass and every other part of the spectrum it certainly is. Fortunately it’s also a wonderfully natural recording that superbly captures Brown, his trio and guests romping through a set of standards. This is straightahead jazz played for sheer enjoyment and this is conveyed superbly in this outstanding recording and pressing. Listen to the relaxed tempo of ‘Take the A Train’ and the imaginative use that Brown and Harris make of this as they trade melodic phrases. The highlight of the set is the extended take on ‘Sweet Georgia Brown’. To quote Brown in the sleeve notes: ‘There are some tunes that no matter how many times you’ve played them, they always make you feel good. This is one.’ The set is rounded out with three alternate takes and ‘CC Rider’ taken from another Concord release. This is an exemplary set that contains some of the most naturally recorded double bass I’ve heard on record. The fact that Brown’s bass is accompanied by an equally well recorded band in such an enjoyable set makes this release a must have.
Supplier: Vivante - www.vivante.co.uk (44)(0)1293-822186

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