Zeitgeist Reviews - BELA FLECK, FU MANCHU, COLE ROSSOUW, TALES FROM THE SHED, P.S.D., DEEP PURPLE

Bela Fleck

Bela Fleck

Cole Rossouw

Cole Rossouw

Keith Mills

Keith Mills

P.S.D.

P.S.D.

Deep Purple

Deep Purple

BELA FLECK & THE FLECKTONES - Little Worlds

Aaaah! Triple CD concept jazz freakout bluegrass alert!

The big idea seems to be an album that sounds like sitting in a car and flipping through radio stations — so you get bits hip-hop, opera, folk, ukulele, funk, bluegrass and jazz, - the little worlds correlating to the fact that we've never been so close yet so far apart.

Does it work? Yes-ish, although it's an epic journey and not for the faint hearted. In fact, it might have worked better without the infusion of guest artistes, who often lead you away from the central themes. I mean you get The Chieftains (boo), Jerry Douglas (yeah!), Bobby Mcferrin (boo), Nickel Creek (yeah!), Derek Trucks (yeah! and boo) amongst many others.

There is an overabundance of synthesisers including a synth-axe drumitar, whatever the hell that is (and no don't e-mail me and tell me - I really don't care), but the songs generally have merit, even if there a few too many of them. The record company seem to have thought the same as they've also released a stripped-down, ten-song version of the project called Ten From Little Worlds.

Interestingly enough, the ten tracks picked by the record company work well together, being amongst the more tuneful, less esoteric tracks. None of the performances on this lengthy exploration can be faulted, although I will never play "Captive Delusions" again. But there are many, many highlights including "Bil Mon", "New Math", "Poindexter" and the even more epic than the others "Sleeper". Definitely an adventure for the musical magpies out there.

COLE ROSSOUW - Earth is my Heaven

Or the artist formerly known as Cole Rossouw, as he now appears to be trading under the name Cole Cross. Raised in South Africa, written in the United States, this is fairly traditional country, but performed with verve and passion.

There's a solitary feel to most of the music with "Champagne Flowers" being a particular highlight. However, some of the lyrics, betraying the mark of the immigrant throughout history, are very gung ho and patriotic. Cynics, beware.

As if that weren't enough he's also an aspiring actor and movie mogul, with thirty screenplays under his belt on top of the 500 songs he's written. The result is the feature film, Exit Fee which with the help of a fantastic crew and a few close friends who believed, he directed in only eleven days.

You have to admire people who have the ambition and drive to try and make their mark, Cole is one of them.

TALES FROM THE SHED - Pt 1

Who'd have thunk it? Bass player with Super Massive Object, shouty northern rockers, Keith Mills, has now produced his debut solo album. And it is absolutely fabulous. A large proviso, though. It has nothing to do with me. The Shed may be my internet handle when I'm lurking in Sandra Bullock chat rooms and writing online journals, but if I was responsible for something this good, I'd be chapping on peoples doors, demanding they listen.

It probably has more in common with his past, which has included writing music for numerous stage plays and theatre companies (including a lavish outdoor production of Shakespeare's The Tempest), rather than as a rocking bass monster.

This CD is driven by mood, hypnotic, sometimes tribal with haunting female vocals dropping in and around the songs. Keith says, "This album is all the sounds, all the moods and all the people I have wanted to work with for such a long time to create music for no other purpose than to feed the soul."

Which says it better than I ever could.

You can find SMO info at; http://www.hutting.com/~sharron/ and search on the message board for info, otherwise just buy the damn thing from Amazon.
Late breaking news - "Hi guys, keith here from Tales from the Shed, thanx for the excellent review, that was a really cool surprise, I wonder if you could amend your details and add the CD is available from Raven Records at http://www.ravenrecording.com "

New link added below for Tales From The Shed

P.S.D. - Remedies And Colors

Paul Stephen Duffy, to give P.S.D. his full name, is a solo artist, working out of the Midwestern United States. He likes to use the recording studio as a musical canvas with which he paints vivid musical pictures.

His influences are very 70's, Fleetwood Mac, Neil Young and others, and his output is very olde worlde, evoking the likes of mellow Wishbone Ash and Caravan. Vocally, his voice is clear, almost Clifford T Ward like in its purity.

Musically, this is keyboard driven, with the songs remaining tight and concise, removing any prog like bloat, having been described by one DJ as "a dreamy fog". There are echoes of Colin Blunstone in his Ennismore days, and you don't get much higher praise than that.

This CD arrived out of the blue and is one of the most enjoyable I've heard this year. An absolute delight.

~~No website~~ but you can buy it from Amazon.com
News just in;

There is a website at www.psdmusic.us

DEEP PURPLE – The Deep Purple Story 2CD

Why? What’s the point? 'The Deep Purple Story' takes some Eagle era Deep Purple tracks from the 1999 Concerto CD, mixes it in with some recent solo material from various current and ex-members, interspersed with a variety of back catalogue material from the Ian Gillan Band, Nick Simper, Eddie Hardin, Gillan & Glover, David Coverdale, Nick Simper, Glenn Hughes etc. And most of that is from “Wizards Convention”.

The booklet has some nice pictures of Deep Purple Mks 3 & 4, but naturally, there isn’t any Mk 3 or 4 material on offer, and both booklet and sleeve misspell Glen(n) Hughes. If it was being sold as a friends & relations type thing, it would be ok, but it in no way, shape or form is it ‘a’, never mind ‘the’ Deep Purple story. The absence of Mr Blackmore precludes that, although Mike Hurst does get a look in. Yes, he of the Springfields (of Dusty) fame. Which gives an Angel Air flavour to the proceedings. I personally don’t recall his seventies solo album billed as “Hurst, Lord & Paice”, but that might be my fading memory. Of course, it would help if the booklet mentioned this, but that’s obviously too much to expect.

Having said that, there is an interesting variety of material here, and it is at mid-price, but don’t go looking for classics or rarities. Although here’s another chance to own a copy of the recently departed Sheb Wooleys “Purple People Eater” performed by Ian Gillan & Roger Glover, without a hint of irony.

Smoke On The Water - Deep Purple
Clear Air Turbulence - Ian Gillan Band
The Purple People Eater - Gillan/Glover
Love Is All - Eddie Hardin
Slipstreaming - Nick Simper
Ain't That Loving You baby - Ian Gillan
Take It Off The Top - Steve Morse Band
In My Time - Mike Hurst (w/Lord & Paice)
Concerto Movement 1 - Deep Purple
Wring That Neck - Deep Purple
Money To Burn - David Coverdale
Until Tomorrow - Glen(n) Hughes
Burn Me Up Slowly - Roger Glover & The Guilty Party
Via Miami - Gillan/Glover
Ritual - Warhorse
Maybe I'm Amazed - Eddie Hardin
Concerto Movement 2 - Deep Purple