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Karnakata - Strange Behaviour
I was a late arrival to the world of Karnataka having been warned
off by people who ought to have know better. But I was whelmed by
their fabulous “Delicate Flame Of Desire”, and now there’s
a 2CD live album to help me play catch up.
Now I’m not a fan of live albums, and especially not 2CD sets.
I could just about thole a double album back in the old days, but
there’s too much room on CDs, leading to filler and substandard
material. Fortunately, for all concerned, Karnataka have enough
good songs to prevent listener atrophy setting in even over 2 hours
of music (which breaks my 90 minute rule, so I still haven’t
listened to it all in one sitting – I had to spread it over
2 sessions!)
Recorded on their November 2003 tour, this is an excellent summation
of their work to date, replete with great songs and spot on performances.
For those who don’t recognise the name, Karnakata work their
magic in the symphonic rock idiom, but with a few folk and Celtic
nuances thrown in for good measure.
Of especial note, one aspect highlighted in a live environment is
the guitar work of Paul Davies. Underplayed and understated in the
studio setting, he gets the chance to shine here, to great effect.
As always, the vocals of Rachel Jones and Anne-Marie Helder, are
also of the highest standard.
I find it odd when live albums mirror the most recent studio album
(John Lawton, are you listening?) and Karnakata fall into the same
trap with all bar one of the “Delicate Flame…”
tracks appearing here. At least, they’ve been rearranged slightly,
to give some added interest. There’s also a couple of new
tracks to whet the appetite - "These Dreams are Over"
and "Talk To Me”, an intense highlight of the whole set.
Overall, this is an excellent release. Granted, it’s too long
for me, but you’d be hard pushed to find any faults with the
music. Karnataka are a band stretching themselves musically, and
finding new ways to develop their sound, and a righteous sound it
is. If you’re looking for a way into their music I’d
suggest the last studio album first, but if you get a chance listen
to the sequence of tracks from “Strange Behaviour” through
to “Tell Me Why” on CD2. I defy you to find any flaws.
A band deserving of your respect and money! Oh, and don’t
be fooled by the track listing on Disc 2. Let it keep spinning.
John Lawton Band - Shakin'
the Tale
Odd this. Eight of the twelve tracks here are from his last studio
release, "Sting In The Tale", which only came out last
year. So, the collector fans will be buying the tracks again, and
the curious coming from Uriah Heep world may find the lack of oldies
confusing.
After, all, the live CD is supposed to be either a souvenir of an
event or a variant on the greatest hits theme. Which means this
is nice if you were at the Magician's Birthday Party in 2003, but
as a mainstream release it's a tad perplexing. Even worse, on first
play, I found it unengaging. It took a good few spins to get to
grips with the new material which is not of an instant nature, and
the sound quality was surprisingly muted.
However, perseverance did pay dividends, and if you have the inclination
it may be worth a visit. John Lawton has always had an instantly
identifiable voice, and he's managed to retain his power over the
years. And when the songs and performance unite, as it does on the
killer ballad "I Will Be Here", then it can be enthralling.
"Written On The Wall" is also an excellent track, with
the band turning in a powerful rock statement.
Performance wise, there are a few glitches with far too many 'journeyman'
moments, and the keyboards should have been higher in the mix, as
their infrequent appearances take some ordinary material and shine
it up. I'm sure the fans will lap this up, but there is little here
for the casual listener, who'd be better off with the studio CDs.
This is also out on DVD with some vintage Lucifers Friend and Uriah
Heep moments, all part of Classic Rock Productions attempts to extract
as much as humanly possible from die hard punters, and as a souvenir
that will probably work better.
T Hallenbeck - Doubting Thomas
A most welcome follow up to the much loved (round our way) "Secret
Society" CD from a couple of years back. This takes our previously
stated view that "Combining a striking spiritual lyricalism,
an almost child like dream quality, and a marvellous way round guitar,
cello, mandolin and mandola" and adds in a Jethro Tull / Angelo
Branduardi twisted folk slant, that is constantly engrossing.
Combining a striking spiritual lyricalism, an almost child like
dream quality, and a marvellous way round guitar, cello, mandolin
and mandola, T Hallenbeck (say it with a Canadian accent) has stripped
music back to the bare essentials, invoking memories stripped naked.
Many years ago, I heard a record called "Highdown Fair"
by Angelo Branduardi, which brought me near to tears with its simple
beauty. Today, 15 years on, I (almost) forgave katiebitchwhore:-)
This is what music should be like. Asking questions, probing emotions,
seeking truth. "Good music for bad times" - nuff said.
Kathryn Williams - Relations
Often the last refuge of a moribund career, sometimes a genuine
tribute to milestones in an artists development, it's gratifying
to report that this falls firmly in the latter category.
One of the problems with this kind of record, though is that an
artists 'classic' song is the listeners pile of shite. So that sends
"Birds" by Neil Young, "Candy Says" by the Velvet
Underground and "All Apologies" by NIrvana off to the
knackers yeard for summary despatch and burial.
But as the CD kicked off with "In A Broken Dream", one
of the finest songs ever, in an all time great kind of way, I was
well disposed to the rest. There's an excellent take on Big Stars'
"Thirteen", an inspired visit to The Byrds "Ballad
Of Easy Rider", and an inspired visit to an old Mae West tune,
" A Guy What Takes His Time".
Biggest surprise goes to the reappraisal of "I Started A Joke".
I thought I was the only one who rated that particular Brother Gibbs
song so highly! I also had the pleasure of seeing Ms Williams in
concert recently (well, for 30 minutes anyway) and was delighted
to find that she delivers live as well.
Overall, an interesting album, most of which is well worth hearing.
Oh bugger, I just realised. I'd managed to blank out the Leonard
Cohen track as well. Another one for the shite pile. But 10 goodies
out of 14 is still better than most. Go get.
Nhojj - Someday Peace Love &
Freedom
Nhojj has one of the fines voices I've heard in years. Effortlessly
flowing through a variety of sounds, this is harmony on a higher
plane.
It's basically smooth reggae grooves with soul, jazz and compelling
lyrics, but the whole fits together so perfectly, that you feel
yourself unable to move away from the rhythms and beats spilling
from the speaker.
Caribbean born and New York raised, Nhojj is a warm trickle of
honey salving your soul. His words are words of peace and love,
a message sadly missed in this world of bling, cynicism and self
serving. It's so hard to pick out favourites, but at a push I'd
plump for "Peace" and "I Miss You", both sublime.
Things end on an awesome high with the ever hopeful, "Someday",
a message we all need to hear sometime. It's hard to think of comparisons,
but imagine, if you will, a more spiritual Maxwell. There's a little
bit of everything from soul through folk through reggae, but it
all adds up to more than the sum of its parts.
I've never counted them, but I've probably played over three hundred
new albums this year, and Nhojj has strolled into the upper echelons.
A remarkable work of art.
Various Artists - Clubland 5
I've made various atempts to get into clubbing, but am usually refused
entry at Ego, due to my wearing too many clothes, and a preponderance
of facial hair. So, I had to replicate the atmosphere at home. I
used one of my Filipino manservants to flip the lights on and off
really quickly, turned up the heating to full blast, distorted the
bass on my amp, charged myself £5 for a bottle of tap water,
and proceeded to wave my hands in the air like I just don't care,
whilst blowing on a referees whistle. And by referees whistle I
mean referees whistle.
Carefully skipping over the 'remakes' of classic rock tracks (incidentally,
have you heard what they've done to 'When I See You Smile':-( I
proceeded to immerse myself in clubland. And by clubland, Universal
mean Friday night, after work, vodka shooters a pound clubland.
The tracks have been seamlessly mixed together, so you can get your
groove on relentlessy. The big selling point are the exclusive remixes
of Girls Aloud, George Michael, Christina Milian and Frankee, but
you won't be surprised to learn that the musical highlights lie
elsewhere.
"Lover" by Rachel McFarlane is outstanding, as the string
infested "Flower Power" by, um, Flower Power. Narcotic
Thrust continue to show themselves to be heads above their competitors,
Milk & Sugar add in a classic soul infusion to the mood and
the best "doof doof" track is "The Sun Is Shining
(Down On Me)" by DTB Project.
Volumes 1 to 4 have sold over 2 million copies, and there's no
doubt this will be just as successful. Just remember to programme
out the covers of "California Dreamin'" and "Lost
In Music"!
