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Pop
and Contemporary Music |
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Chris
Duarte - Vantage Point
Provogue Records PRDCD7261-2 Reviewed by AH
The photograph of Duarte on the inner sleeve of Vantage Point shows a
face etched in what the blues is all about…blood, sweat and tears.
Duarte, like so many before him, has had his problems with life’s
excesses, but he’s a survivor who came out with his incredible gifts
intact. He’s often likened to Stevie Ray Vaughan in the way he plays
and sings, but Duarte’s no clone happy to ride on the late guitarist’s
reputation.
Vantage Point is a ferocious mix of high intensity blues-rock and it kicks
into life with ‘The Best I Can Do’, a thumping rocker that
races to the finishing line on a breathless groove. The pace changes to
a shuffle on ‘Satisfy’ and then he gets that Strat funking
it up with the instrumental, ‘Slapstar’. ‘More Boogie’
motors along on a wicked riff and has more than a touch of Thin Lizzy
about it, whilst ‘Babylon’s driven by a fantastic vocal and
some quite unbelievable playing. Woodpecker’ shows how versatile
this man is; the notes glide off the guitar as the mood changes from jazzy
to an almost Allmans-like meander. Mike Varney’s production is clean
and crisp, and the band allow Duarte room to flex his undoubted musical
muscles. He’s as good as anyone out there right now…the blood,
sweat and tears definitely paid off. |
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Tracy
Bonham - Blink The Brightest
Zoe/Rounder 01143-1065-2 Reviewed by RP
Oregon-born Tracy Bonham shares a number of striking similarities to the
highly acclaimed Eleanor McEvoy. Both were classically trained musicians
and this brings a structure and discipline to their song writing. This
grip upon the medium, the tautness of the writing coupled with a penetrating
vision means that there’s nothing flabby or vacuous about these
songs. Their music is wide-ranging and inquisitive, introspective and
impassioned, but vocally they differ. Tracy possesses one of the best
female rock voices around, whereas Eleanor’s softer brogue suits
a contemporary folk style. That said, thematically in distinctively separate
ways their performances memorably dissect the quirkiness, desperate longing,
disillusion and betrayal inherent in modern relationships. Tracy’s
take on this condition through songs like ‘I Was Born Without You’,
‘Naked’, ‘All Thumbs’ and ‘Take Your Love
Out On Me’ has a knowing intensity and brooding wisdom about it
that is frequently reinforced by the lyricism and engaging hooks. Nor
does she have anything to fear from the melancholy or the delicacy of
a haunting refrain heard in ‘And The World Has The Nerve To Keep
Turning’. Nerveless in the relentless pursuit of angst, yearning
and doubt, her well-turned phrases display charm, humour and wit. |
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Rusty
Truck - Luck’s Changing Lanes
Rykodisc Records RCD10926 Reviewed by AH
When God was busy dishing out talent, he made sure Rusty Truck front-man
Mark Seliger got the main course and a really tasty dessert. Before he
decided to get involved with music, Seliger established himself as a world
renowned photographer for Conde Nast Publications and Rolling Stone magazine.
He befriended many of his subjects and one, Jakob Dylan, helped him hone
his song-writing talents.
Luck’s Changing Lanes is as professionally crafted as Seliger’s
photographs and has exquisite attention to detail. The sound is rootsy
and generally mid-paced, and Selger sings in a voice not dissimilar to
Dwight Yoakam’s. The stunning ballad ‘Broken Promises’
is definitely going to get covered by a big country star sooner or later,
as is the title track. Another standout is ‘New York Fallen Angel’,
a reggae track featuring Burning Spear on backing vocals. It sounds like
an unlikely pairing but amazingly sits comfortably with everything else
here, and its sunshine lilt illuminates in all the right ways.
Seliger’s attracted some high profile guests to help out, including
Lenny Kravitz, Sheryl Crow, Willie Nelson and Matchbox Twenty’s
Rob Thomas, and for those of you who get to the record shops quick enough
there’s a limited edition version of Luck’s Changing Lanes
which comes as a CD/DVD digipak with 5 music videos and 5.1 surround sound.
Cor blimey, sometimes those record companies spoil us rotten. |
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Paul
Mark - Blood and Treasure
Radiation Records RDTN5907 Reviewed by AH
Available in this months magazine |
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The Simon
Hopper Band - The Less Blessed
Control Shift Music Reviewed by RP
Available in this months magazine
Supplier: Frontier Promotions
www.simonhopper.co.uk
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Marc Ford
- And The Neptune Blues Club
Provogue Records PRD72022 Reviewed by AH
Available in this months magazine |
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Karen
Dalton - It’s So Hard To Tell Who’s Going To Love You The
Best
Megaphone CD MEGA 10 Reviewed by RP
Available in this months magazine |
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Ruthie
Foster - The Phenomenal
Proper Records PRPCD040 Reviewed by AH
Available in this months magazine |
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Erja Lyttinen
- Grip Of The Blues
RUF Records RUF1141 Reviewed by AH
Available in this months magazine |
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Murcof
- The Versailles Sessions
Leaf Label Reviewed by JK
Available in this months magazine
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Jackson
Browne - Time The Conqueror
Inside Recordings INR8002-3 Reviewed by AH
Available in this months magazine |
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