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Pop
and Contemporary Music |
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Hard-Fi
- Stars of CCTV
Necessary Records 5050467 8691 2 7 Reviewed by MC
Stars of CCTV is another of last year’s releases that has sat on
my shelf awaiting a final verdict, and based on the time it spends out
of its case it seems it deserves a mention.
Hard-Fi blend the current hard-nosed garage sound with slightly more adventurous
ska and funk elements. It’s a style of messy music that has become
über-fashionable recently, but it’s interesting to note that
Hard-Fi have kept their production clean and sophisticated. On Stars of
CCTV fuzzed up bass lines and samples mix carefully with guitars and vocals
so that the whole thing doesn’t simply end up as a dirty mash of
noise. Hard-Fi have all the same individual components as the current
rash of wannabes that crowd the tabloids, but have used them to create
an album that will stand the test of time.
Stars of CCTV doesn’t just manage to create an exciting blend of
garage and funk that is married to relevant and incisive lyrics, but also
manages, at the same time, to be honest and powerful.
This record oozes a kind of dirty glamour. The band stick faithfully to
their roots and sing almost exclusively about their experience of growing
up in Staines. They tackle their material with a combination of toughness
and pride that gives the mundane a certain gloss, but it’s their
one ballad that really shines through. |
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Ladysmith
Black Mambazo - Long Way To Freedom
Heads Up Records HUCD3109 Reviewed by AH
Believe it or not, it's been almost 20 years since Paul Simon unleashed
the groundbreaking Graceland on a grateful public. With its heady mix
of African musicians and western influences it became an important milestone
for World music and introduced Ladysmith Black Mambazo to a much wider
audience. This fantastic group went on to achieve success on their own
with the Grammy winner 'Shaka Zulu' and on this new release it's the turn
of western musicians to be the guests. It's a project that works splendidly,
one that brings out some memorable performances and one that captures
the deep spirituality inherent in the Ladysmiths' rich musical heritage.
12 of the 13 tracks are re-recordings from their considerable repertoire,
the only new song being 'Thula Thula', sung solo by the group's leader
Joseph Shabalala.
Two Graceland songs are covered; `Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes'
which features Melissa Etheridge and ‘Homeless', where Sarah Mclachlan's
ethereal voice blends beautifully with those of the choir. Also lending
a hand are Natalie Merchant on ‘Rain Rain, Beautiful Rain' and Taj
Mahal, who contributes typical earthy guitar to 'Mbube'. Albums containing
high profile guests are two a penny and a lot of them just cover up a
lack of quality material, but that's not a criticism that can be levelled
at Long Walk To Freedom.
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Nizlopi
- Half These Songs Are About You
FDM Records FDMNIZ002 Reviewed by MC
Just a few weeks before Christmas a video started doing the rounds on
the internet. Featuring a small child driving round with his Dad on a
JCB the video was perfectly accompanied by a great, catchy little tune.
‘The JCB song’ then climbed from nowhere to top the charts
and only narrowly missed the Christmas number one. You can imagine my
surprise then, when I found that their album is (honestly) really good.
I’m no fan of jazz, so the sound of a double bass and jazz drums
on the opening track nearly finished this album off for me before it had
even started. But what follows is surprising, eleven solid songs, well
written and gently orchestrated. Half these songs... does however suffer
from a common affliction: that of being created by people with far too
much technical skill, so that sometimes too much care has been taken to
make the music precise and accurate, and not enough to making it spontaneous
and exciting. But even in its lows the record is lifted by the graceful
vocal talent of singer, Luke Concannon, who articulates a nostalgic longing
and regret.
Half these songs… is an amazing debut, made even more so by its
meteoric rise. It’s relaxed and pleasingly sentimental, it’s
not going to offend anyone nor set the world alight, but it will make
the world feel like a better place for forty minutes.
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David
Hoffbrand - To The Sound Of A Different Drum
Branded Music BMCD 1270 Reviewed by AH
As soon as the first chords of `The Reason Why' erupt from the speakers
it becomes abundantly clear we're in for a treat. David Hoffbrand's songs
are mini works of art and they'e powered along by a band who are tighter
than Scrooge's purse strings. Make no mistake, this is a singer who knows
how to grab your attention, someone with a deep understanding of the song
writing craft who is able to keep a song right there in the pocket. Hoffbrand
has many influences; Zappa, Waits, Hank Williams, The Velvet Underground...
the list is endless. Personally, he reminds me of my all time favourite
singer Peter Himmelman, not so much vocally but in the arrangements and
his intelligent use of the musicians, particularly the bass player. Just
when you think you know where a song's going he throws in a musical diversion
whilst somehow always managing to maintain the thread -`Delta' being a
case in point. It threatens as a country song, wanders down a bluesy river
and then bursts its banks as a funky strut - it shouldn't work, but trust
me, it works a treat! It's a little early in the year to be thinking about
which album to put at number one but I tell you, it's going to take a
monumental effort to shake this from the top spot.
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Amy Allison
- Everything And Nothing Too
Spit and Polish SPIT027 Reviewed by AH
Amy Allison, daughter of the great Mose Allison, might well have one of
the most striking voices ever. At times it sounds like it was concocted
in the studio by filtering it through some strange device and it takes
a bit of getting used to, but once over the initial shock it's quite endearing
in a quirky kind of way.
But there's no denying she knows how to write a song, a fact not lost
on Elvis Costello who included a previous album (The Maudlin Years) in
his list of the `Top 500 Albums Of All Time' in Vanity Fair's music issue
of 2000. It makes no difference what she applies that voice to, be it
an up tempo country rock number or a tender, affecting ballad like the
beautiful `Hearts Of London', everything comes out sounding decidedly
unique. Allison's influences are incredibly diverse, ranging from Loretta
Lynn and Billie Holiday to Elvis Costello and... er, Morrissey. For reasons
only a Morrissey fan could explain she covers The Smiths' `Everyday Is
Like Sunday', and although she takes it on a totally different journey
it still comes out sounding like dirge. (I might be biased here, as I
thought The Smiths were utter tripe). We'll allow her that minor aberration
though, as the rest is bloody marvellous.
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Jose Gonzales
- Veneer
Peacefrog Music PFG066CD Reviewed by MC
OK, let’s get this clear straight away: you have heard Jose Gonzales
before, on that Sony advert with the bouncing balls. With a guitar and
very little else he makes music that is so soft and delicate you can barely
allow yourself to breathe lest you miss something. Keeping his tracks
deadly minimal he rarely uses more than a dual tracked vocal and acoustic
guitar, occasionally allowing a light percussive rhythm to bleed through.
On the face of it this album is a perfect winner, but alas there’s
something not quite right here. On listening to this record I was immediately
reminded of his musical peers, people like Beth Orton, Turin Brakes and
Kings of Convenience.
Veneer certainly manages to strip down the songs to their most basic components,
and is undoubtedly beautiful and moving. But the album is also incredibly
dry, the looping guitar themes grow tiring after a while and the songs
often lack direction. The record lacks the humour that other, similar,
bands manage to add to their music. Jose Gonzales plays all his songs
straight, each one just as righteous and earnest as the last.
Veneer is beautiful and moving but just a little boring. This record is
so close to being perfect, and yet fails somewhere along the way. So much
about it is simply superb that it should be worth every penny, but somehow
I just can’t get excited about it.
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Rosanne
Cash - Black Cadillac
Capitol Records 094634873802 Reviewed by AH
The last two years have been particularly unkind to Rosanne Cash; she
has had to come to terms with the deaths of her mother Vivian, her stepmother
June Carter Cash and her father Johnny, people who have had a profound
effect on her, personally and professionally. Black Cadillac was written
in amongst all the turmoil and stands as a remarkable testament to her
lost family members. Half of the album was recorded in Los Angeles with
Bill Bottrell, a producer noted for his work with Sheryl Crow and Shelby
Lynne, and the rest with husband Jon Leventhal in New York, where she
now resides.
Taking into account the circumstances surrounding this album it could
have been a maudlin affair, but thankfully nothing is further from the
truth; the lyrics are sensitive and thoughtful and woven around some of
her most affecting melodies.
Rosanne is one of country music's better lyricists and really excels here,
especially on the title track, written six-weeks before her stepmother
passed away. The album asks thought provoking questions on life, life
after death and the struggle in between, and is so personal that at times
it almost feels like an intrusion to be listening, but that is where its
charm lies. Earlier Rosanne albums have just been re-released by Sony
and are worth checking out, but this one probably stands as her finest
moment and is indispensable.
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Editors
- The Back Room
Kitchenware Records KWCD34 Reviewed by MC
The Back Room seems to ooze style, from the black and white minimalist
sleeve art to the succinct song titles. Editors have obviously put some
thought into what they do. Their restrained, highly controlled style of
music should not therefore come as a surprise. Their music is dark and
claustrophobic.
There are shades of early U2 in their guitar lines and more than a hint
of bands like Joy Division throughout but, most of all, they bring to
mind Interpol. From the instrumental break-downs, dual guitar codas and
distinctive vocals you could almost forget that this isn’t Turn
on the bright lights or Antics. Not, I should hasten to add, that this
is a bad thing. But The Back Room has more than enough credibility to
stand on its own merits. Editors songs kick off right from the start,
with pounding drum lines and histrionic guitars, so songs like ‘Munich’
and ‘Bullets’ have a punch that is Editors very own.
That punch makes this record instantly accessible but emotionally cold.
It’s an album for posturing, the musical equivalent of a black limo,
it looks great, but gives very little indication of what goes on behind
the façade.
The Back Room contains a handful of brittle rock classics that make the
whole thing worthwhile, but you can’t escape the feeling that they
need to let go before they can fulfil their true promise.
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Buddy
Guy - Bring `em In
Silvertone Records: Reviewed by AH
The bright orange sticker on the front of Buddy Guy's new album delights
in telling us that he has been inducted into the Rock ‘n’
Roll Hall of Fame. It's well deserved recognition for what he has brought
to the blues in a long and illustrious career, but if this is the sort
of stuff he's going to churn out from now on, I'd rather he'd remained
anonymous and under appreciated.
In truth, the star-studded, slap-on-the-back format has become tired and
predictable. It worked for John Lee Hooker, thrusting him back into the
public's imagination at a time when his career badly needed a boost, but
then The Healer wasn't just Hooker going through the motions but a fine
album in its own right. This one is not.
There are some fine performances here, notably Guy's duet with Tracy Chapman
on 'Ain't No Sunshine' and his scintillating playing on `The Price You
Gotta Pay', where he gets a helping hand from the human riff himself Sir
Keef Of Richards, but the rest is a bit blues by numbers, to say the least.
Buddy Guy is an amazing guitarist and a damn good singer, and if it sounds
like I'm being a tad hard on him it's because I know he can do a lot better
than this. John Lee must be shaking his head with the shame of it all.
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Fink
- Biscuits For Breakfast
Ninja Tune ZEN104 Reviewed by JK
Fink, or Finian Greenall as his mum knows him, has made two albums for
Ninja Tune, but if you weren’t told you’d never know they
were by the same guy. 2000’s Fresh Produce was a trip hop/ambient
dub album that’s very much in the Ninja style and good with it.
Biscuits For Breakfast on the other hand is a stylistic volte face; the
samples and turntables have been ditched and real instruments and a microphone
have taken their place.
This album has a new folk sound with a pared down feel and some excellent
songwriting that feels as if it describes a life rather than being the
soundtrack for a life. Some have compared his style to John Martyn but
while the voice has a similar warmth and the guitar is acoustic this album
has an urban feel that you won’t hear on classic Martyn. The music
is essentially bluesy with acoustic guitar taking centre stage next to
the voice, this combo being underpinned with some subtle and atmospheric
keyboards, drum and bass.
Highlights include ‘All Cried Out’ and the sultry ‘Hush’
with Tina Grace on vox, on which the backing band sounds like it came
straight out of the swamp rather than a studio in Brighton. The sound
is up front and real but warm with it so there are no hard edges, earthy
in fact.
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Becky
Owen - The Singer Kicks
Fairy Snuff FAIRYSR002 Reviewed by RP
Writing songs that have immense emotional resonance, possessing a voice
that laps over you with heart rending beauty and playing the most melancholic
of piano lines to constantly probe and pull you ever onward through ballads,
pop, jazz and rock arrangements should be enough to demonstrate what amazing
talent Becky Owen has at her fingertips. Strikingly intimate tracks like
‘Caterpillar’ and its opening lyrics “My mama bled when
I was born” or vocal threads such as “I wanna echo through
you like a song on the breeze when I’m gone you live well and stay
calm” heard in ‘Sighs’ more than hint at the underlying
fragility, yearning, defiance, hope and sadness of her muse.
True, Owen is not yet the finished article. Occasionally her writing comes
up short: “I had the emotional monopoly whilst you couldn’t
even pass go” (‘Mention’) sounds forced and too contrived,
making certain journalistic comparisons to Carole King and Kate Bush more
than a little premature.
However, there is enough urgency, confidence, integrity, and warmth here
to predict greater artistic successes in the future. For now, The Singer
Kicks can perhaps best be thought of as a marvellously flawed album; a
work in progress where stylistic shifts, ambitious, intriguing and richly
varied musical textures seem to vie with one another as Owen searches
out an identity.
Supplier: Hot Records - www.hotrecords.uk.com |
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Wild
Strawberries - The Gods Are Shining
Luna Records StrwbCD 001L Reviewed by RP
Scottish music is in rude health. The Wild Strawberries, with their lyrical
simplicity, emotional drive and edgy Gordon Macdonald vocals so reminiscent
of the ’80s “indie” scene championed by the likes of
the Cherry Red label, are an exciting and diversely influenced four-piece
band who deserve recognition beyond Edinburgh’s city walls.
A moody and brooding opener in ‘Faster’ sets the tone. Instead
of verbosely picking the bones of a failed relationship, Macdonald gives
an expressive and quite dramatic outpouring of feelings that leak through
the jagged fissures of his broken heart.
The Bob Hewerdine production and grungy Ross Cockburn guitar reinforce
that sense of desperation, pain and disbelief. Repetition of vocal lines
in tracks such as ‘Bitten Dust’ and ‘Be My Muse’
and the uncomplicated straight talking song writing found on ‘Don’t
Let My Dreaming’ and ‘Of All My Desires’ propels you
quickly through this wreckage. Not exactly uncharted choppy waters, I
know, but the execution is really determined, the sentiments heartfelt
and the insights so dramatically delivered that even the most commonplace
of observations remain firmly anchored in your mind long after the last
note fades away.
Supplier: frontieruk@btconnect.com |
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Muddy
Waters - The Best of Muddy Waters
Speakers Corner/Chess LP 1427 Reviewed by RSF
While you might assume that a “Best of” release is a compilation
from previous albums, this is a first-time issue comprised of various
45rpm releases by Muddy Waters and the stable of Chess house musicians
– some of whom were in the Muddy Waters Band. The musicians read
like a veritable whose who of the 1950’s blues scene in Chicago
including such greats as Willie Dixon, Otis Spann, Jimmy Rogers, Little
Walter and Big Walter Horton to name a few. The hits on this record include
the famous ‘Hoochie Coochie Man’, written by Dixon for Waters.
Also included are the great, ‘I Just Want To Make Love To You’,
‘Honey Bee’, ‘Rollin’ Stone’.
This has always been one of my favorite blues records and although the
original sound on the early Chess 45’s is variable, this is another
treat for those who love The Blues. You can clearly hear how sensual and
heart-felt Waters is as he belts these tunes out and just listening to
the first cut on side 1, ‘I Just Want To Make Love To You’
is totally outrageous. If you think girls swooned over Elvis…
I can assure you that Muddy Waters was in that same league. Original U.S.
issues of this record can easily hit the $1000 mark and for the price
of this admission, Speakers Corner has delivered another bargain with
a capital “B”.
Supplier: Pure Pleasure Records www.purepleasurerecords.com |
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Roger
Askew - Big Fire
Sho-de-Bop Recordings SDB 05 Reviewed by RP
Askew both as a performer and producer is probably better known for his
work alongside the likes of Christy Moore and Brian Kennedy. Big Fire,
his second album, has a deeper acoustic grain running through it than
did his debut disc Scarab Moon. However, both of these CDs showcase a
lucid and engaging style, one overflowing with descriptive songs whose
storytelling blossoms when allied to that light and soulful Askew vocal
thread. This lyricism is thoughtful and quietly witty rather than raw
and acerbic. Characters like ‘Little Shorty’ are imbued with
knowing charm and even when he drops a gear on ‘21st Century Blues’
or ‘Into The Flame’ there’s still that undisguised warmth.
His strength of purpose, genuine optimism and collective moral certainty
resonate within songs such as ‘Let Me Be A River’, ‘After
The Harvest’ and ‘Keep You In My Heart’. The musicianship
is equally secure. Roger’s guitar and keyboards and assured core
contributions by Olly Blanchflower (double bass), Phoene Cave (vocals)
and Peter Baron (drums) contrasting with colourful guest spots for the
Henry Lowther’s flugel horn, Ben Tyzack slide guitar and those delicately
sweet touches of Clare Lindley’s violin and viola.
Supplier: frontieruk@btconnect.com |
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Alana
Davis - Surrender Dorothy
Tigress Records CD85508 Reviewed by AH
In 1998 a little known singer by the name of Alana Davis unleashed her
solo album on the world to rapturous acclaim from the music press. She
was hailed by Time Magazine as a "major new talent" and Entertainment
Weekly called her " the most promising newcomer of 1998".
Signed to a major label, everything was in place for a long and fruitful
career, but by the time her second album came out relations with her label
Elektra had plummeted to an all time low. They tried to mould her into
an R'n'B singer but that wasn't how she saw herself, so artist and label
had a parting of the ways.
Surrender Dorothy is the album she always wanted to make and the one she
is most proud of. Two of the 11 songs are covers, Blue Oyster Cult's `(
Don't Fear ) The Reaper' and a little known Bob Marley track `Nice Time',
the rest being Alana originals.
She has surrounded herself with a bunch of top class musicians who slip
effortlessly into whatever style she asks of them, be it slick urban soul,
rock with a funky twist or smooth, sensitive ballads. Vocally she sounds
like a cross between Shelby Lynne and Joss Stone, the music having a soft
Steely Dan centre wrapped in a Sade outer coating. Artistic credibility
wins the day for once.
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Kathleen
Edwards - Live From The Bowery Ballroom
Zoe Records 01143-2004-2 Reviewed by RP
Three audio tracks running to fifteen minutes and two DVD videos on this
double-sided disc recorded live at the Bowery Ballroom in New York on
June 13th 2003 is a sparse but truly intriguing offering from an authentic
and individual singer songwriter. Live, Kathleen exhibits vocal power,
poise and those familiar qualities that attractively clip or shorten the
lyric thread. Her backing musicians move away from the soft opening chords
of ‘National Steel’ to ply a slick and grungy electric guitar
backed sound courtesy of Colin Cripps – one that’s strongly
supported by a solid Kevin McCarragher bass line and Joel Anderson’s
rhythmic presence on drums. All three songs serve up the heavier brand
of Americana, a kind which really suits the surprising Kathleen Edwards
cover of AC/DCs anthem ‘Money Talks’. This is a plucky choice
of material smartly carried off with no little passion and punch. The
filling for this three track sandwich is the song ‘Hockey Skates’.
It’s an Edwards penned original that moves through tight descriptive
lyrics about the swish of blades on ice to take forward her much more
pointed views on life. The grainy guitar licks oil the passage of these
penetrating observations and that etched and clinical quality present
in this acoustic does a revealing job. |
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The
Maryhillbillys - Meet The Maryhillbillys
Luna Records MhbCD0001L Reviewed by RP
Child of the Sixties, guitarist, songwriter and lead vocalist Scott Richardson
hails from Maryhill in Scotland - his hard drinking bunch of Aussie musician
mates (is there any other kind) from the St Kilda district of Melbourne.
Richardson’s journey to a different hemisphere, his love of country
music and its unlikely fruition in a hillbilly band is quite a tale –
one almost as tall as some of those marvellous stories told in a dozen
songs on this album. Fuelled by booze, and dry, one-eyed observations,
nearly every track leaves you with either a knowing smile or one of those
broad grins as words twist and turn to a lyrical tour de force. Even a
final instrumental entitled, ‘Words Fail Me’, has that unspoken
laughter behind it. Elsewhere the humour surfaces through bold characterisation,
genuine wit and the smart injection of dobro, mandolin, fiddle, harmonica
and double bass. Though your ears are always drawn back to Richardson’s
fluid delivery of lines like “You’re in my face and you’re
in my hair and all my friends as well. You’re a mad ass manic crazy
psychopathic bitch from hell”, (‘Mad Ass Manic’). Or
the wonderfully pictorial, “He’s the king of karaoke. He likes
his burgers and his fries. He’s got a funny lip he likes to swing
his hips. He can make all the ladies cry”. (‘Goddam He Thinks
He’s Elvis’).
Supplier: frontieruk@btconnect.com |
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Acoustic
Triangle - Resonance
Audio B ABCD 5017 Reviewed by DD
Recorded during Acoustic Triangle’s critically acclaimed UK Tour
of Sacred Places in 2005 this set was captured during performances at
Romsey Abbey, Hampshire and Dorchester Abbey, Oxfordshire. Tim Garland
is quoted in the notes as saying that “The building is the fourth
member of our trio”. How right he is. An arrangement of Allegri’s
‘Miserere Mei’, opens with delicate bowed bass from Malcolm
Creese, Garland’s soprano sax soaring heavenwards conveying the
spacious acoustic of Dorchester Abbey. The trio’s version of Kenny
Wheeler’s ‘Everyone’s Song But My Own’ showcases
the band’s virtuosity, opening with a dexterous bass solo from Creese,
before Garland kicks in with a breathy and quite beautiful tenor solo
before handing the reins to Gwilym Silcock for some exquisite piano. The
bands strength is that they are all masters of their instruments and of
subtle interplay which they demonstrate throughout this set, yet never
resort to overt showmanship, gaining strength from this subtlety of approach.
The set closes with a lovely reading of Stan Tracey’s ‘Under
Milk Wood’ that can easily hold up its head alongside the original.
It’s that good. The two previous releases from this gifted trio
have been hugely rewarding. This lovely set is no exception and is their
strongest recorded work to date.
Supplier: www.acoustictriangle.com |
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Laughing
Clowns - Cruel But Fair
Hot Records HOT 1088 Reviewed by RP
How best to describe the Clowns? Does “avant guard collision of
progressive guitar, trumpet and sax” adequately encapsulate the
coarse-grained and experimental feel of their music?” Probably not.
Another question? Does Ed Kuepper’s primordial voice, so thorny,
wild and off key, offer any kind of solace to a non-believer? Again, the
answer is, probably not. A quarter of a century on, and these are still
the scariest most singular clowns imaginable, an undisguised explosion
of antiestablishment energy flowing through their veins.
And unless you’ve heard them before nothing can possibly prepare
you for the unique shock. There is a palpable sharp intake of breath when
you’re sliced and diced by such challenging and innovative tracks
as the ‘Year Of The Bloated Goat’, ‘Eternally Yours’
or ‘Everything That Flies’.
Understandably, at the time they helped to place Australia on the rock
music map – even if it was way out there at the very fringes of
the audience’s experiences and expectations. Yes, Cruel But Fair
is an acquired taste, but this remarkable collection presenting every
Laughing Clowns recording made between 1979 and 1984 remains a frighteningly
powerful and intriguing legacy.
Supplier: Hot Records - www.hotrecords.uk.com |
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