Reviews

Weekly Reviews For July 3, 2005

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I am also Assistant Editor & reviewer at MetalUK.

I also contribute reviews to getreadytorock

You will also find some reviews at spacerock.co.uk

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MRC Trio - That Magic Thread

Free jazz / avante garde alert! And there is a concept lurking here as well. So, you may want to run for the hills if you’re of a verse – chorus – verse persuasion. For those of you still here, each track is broken down into scenes which make up an act and there are four acts that make up ‘That Magic Thread’.

So far, so muddy. But from the off, this is intriguing and stimulating stuff. Act 1, Scene 1 sets out a spacey vibe, before things liven up a bit in Scene 2, with Barry Romberg on drums/ percussion getting into his stride.

Act 2 sees some world influences with some vibrant use of tablas, and some flowing interplay between the musicians, who seem to take flight during this particular phase. It’s the best part of the set, with Acts 3 and 4 not quite hitting the same heights.

Not easy listening by any stretch of the imagination, but when the musicians involved hit a common thread, it can be a wonder to behold.

Jo McCafferty – Live At The Moorings


My first encounter with the divine Miss McCafferty was just her and an acoustic guitar, and a blessed event it was too. And now you can share the pleasure with the release of the first Jo McCafferty live album.

Recorded live at The Moorings (no really!) in Aberdeen, this is an excellent opportunity for you to either a) release how special a singer / songwriter she is, or b) continue your appreciation of her talent. Either way, this is an excellent collection of songs, which belongs in your record collection.

The next project for Jo is a full band album, so get your mitts on this excellent acoustic collection before she turns into Guns n’ Roses on the forthcoming "Overtaking on a Bend". And to make a great album even better, there is a slew of extra tracks, namely remastered versions of the now out of print “Games for One” CD (minus 'Vanessa'),

A delightful release, honey for the ears.

James Luecke – Kool Waters

Smooth jazz. Mmmm. Nice. Or so ‘The Fast Show’ would have us believe. But unfunny stereotypes aside, it’s quite difficult for smooth jazz artistes to get over the Kenny G factor, bad hair and elevator music. So, it is to Mr Lueckes credit that he manages to do so.

Granted, the Milwaukee saxophone player, does have some free jazz and avante garde licks in his armoury, and isn’t afraid to use them, when required. In fact, repeated plays show that he is definitely trying to stretch his style, and that makes for an interesting, and sometimes invigorating release.

He can also turn his hand (and mouth) to flute and keyboards, drops in some world influences, and generally shakes things up in fine style.

Steven Alvarado - The Howl Sessions

Solo album 3, in a recording career going back to 1991 isn’t a frenetic release schedule, but it’s worth waiting for something this good.

His vocal style alone would make this worthwhile, even if he was singing the equivalent of the telephone directory, for his warm, lived in voice, is a treat. However, he knows how to write a memorable tune as well. Amongst the many highlights here are the tragic “Morphillia (A Girl I Knew)” and “Wish You Were Here (Postcards From Hell)”, which show a depth of lyricism rarely heard these days. How can you go wrong with an opening stanza of;

You told me I’m going to Hell
I’m finally here and doing swell
I’ll send you a card ‘wish you were here’
‘umm humm, down here

He is well respected enough to be able to call on some well connected players to help bring his vision to life, with Rob Burger (Rufus Wainwright, Norah Jones) on organ, Joe Quigley, (Shawn Colvin, Lisa Loeb) on bass, Mike Presta, (Counting Crows, Melissa Etheridge) on drums and Richard Barone, (Lou Reed, Patti Smith) on bongo's, amongst others.

But it’s to his credit that his songs and voice rise above the backing to make a righteous claim for respect in his own right. A truly excellent release.

The Flying Burrito Brothers – The Collection

A Flying Burrito Brothers compilation! Surely not? Oh, yes, really. Another one, this time with 18 tracks, spanning 1968 – 1976, with drool worthy sleevenotes eulogising Gram Parsons, barely mentioning the other members, skipping over the fact that over half the tracks come from the period after he left the band, and despite providing a lengthy list telling you who originally recorded the tracks, fails to let you know which Burrito albums you’ll find them on. Useful and useless all in one.

So, a shoddy compilation. Kind of, but there is a saving grace. It’s a budget release! Yours for only £4.99 brand new! Which means it’s absolutely ideal for the 3 people who don’t already own a Burritos album. For the music is divine, and I speak as someone who thinks the Gram eulogising is extremely overdone. He didn’t make these records by himself you know, and the other pickers who kept the flag flying deserve praise as well.

He may not really have been ‘Gods Own Singer’, but the Burritos as a band made some timeless music. If you don’t have several Burritos albums already, this is a good, cheap way to start.

I don’t usually print track lists, but you can’t go wrong with;

Break My Mind / Sing Me Back Home / Close Up The Honky-Tonks / Image Of Me / White Line Fever / Six Days On The Road / Dim Lights / Tonight The Bottle Let Me Down / Sin City / Dark End Of The Street / Pick Me Up On Your Way Down / God's Own Singer / Green Green Grass Of Home / Crazy Arms / Together Again / Wake Up Little Susie / Here Tonight / Your Angel Steps Out Of Heaven

Hayseed Dixie – Let There Be Rockgrass

It’s amazing how far you can go with one joke, and Hayseed Dixie seem intent on running with it as far as possible.

I’d actually avoided buying this as most of the tracks appear on their earlier US releases, but Cooking Vinyl cruelly threw in some live material and a couple of bonus tracks on this UK compilation, so I eventually succumbed to the lure of more AC/DC cover versions.

To be honest, their first album was by far the best, with the AC/DC material handling the transition best. After all, their brand of boogie was always going to fit best into a country genre, and so it remains.

After all, how can you make a joke out of The Darkness? So, “I Believe In A Thing Called Love” actually sounds more serious her than in its original format, although “Ace Of Spades” works surprisingly well. Again, Motorhead are just a very loud rock and roll band, so the shift to country isn’t that radical a shift. Maybe that should be the next step for Hayseed Dixie. I’d buy an album full of Motorhead covers!”

As before, the band play up a storm, but if you own any of the previous releases, there may be little point in buying this. It was only its appearance in a sale that lured me back in. But for completists and crazed AC/DC fans, the live AC/DC covers may drag you back in.