Reviews

Weekly Reviews For October 22, 2006

Review Index

I am Managing Editor at Metal4Life

I also contribute reviews to getreadytorock

I am also featured reviewer at spacerock.co.uk

I was Editor & reviewer at MetalUK.

New Reviews

John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers / Chicken Shack @ Edinburgh Usher Hall

Far removed from the sweaty club show put on by the young blues rock upstarts The Answer, it was the plush grandeur of the Usher Hall to see two stalwarts of the British blues scene.

First up was Stan Webb with his latest incarnation of Chicken Shack. I had forgoten what a remarkably good guitarist Stan was and found myself salivating slightly during set highlights "The Thrill Has Gone", dedicated to his four ex wives and the Lowell Fulsom/n classic "Reconsider Baby", where he put on an exemplary display of slide guitar. Even better he was in fine voice hitting some mighty fine notes.

Come the interval I was mighty surprised to find John Mayall sitting all alone at the merchandise stand which the Usher Hall had seen fit to hide around a corner, outwith the sight of mortal man. Even worse, I'd no cash on me to brighten up his evening and scuttled back to my seat a bit sharpish.

Just as well, for the Bluesbreakers were just about to get started on their brief solo set and if I thought Stan Webb was a dab hand on guitar, well Buddy Whittington soon put me right. For he is one of the finest blues guitarists ever to have taken to a stage. Now there have been a few half decent guitarists through the ranks of the Bluesbreakers you may have heard of - Eric Clapton, Peter Green, Mick Taylor, Coco Montoya and Walter Trout - but during the course of the night Buddy was doing things to his guitar that must be illegal in several countries.

After Mr Mayall arrived on stage, he set out to prove that he still has what it takes in the month before his 73rd birthday with a string of pearls reaching right back to classic albums like 'Blues From Laurel Canyon' and 'Crusade' - 'Walking On Sunset ' and 'Oh, Pretty Woman' respectively - before coming right up to date with 'Burned Bridges' from his latest 'Road Dogs' CD. A lengthy blues jam in the middle of the set came the whole band room to shine but it was all over far too soon for the 1000+ crowd who'd turned out to watch a legend in action.

There's plenty dates left on the UK tour, check them out here;

T D Lind - Come In from The Cold


I believe the word I'm looking for around about here is 'wow'. Ah, there it was. I could be wrong but these songs are really quite special. I was only kidding about being wrong. Me and the Pope. Infallible. It's only a matter of time. Pope Alexander, methinks. And I'll screw up their numbering system again, what with Pope Alexander V being considered an anti-pope.

An Englishman writing an odd mix of alt country and torch song, they're tales of living and life, although tragically, none seem to relate any tales of the time he worked with Ozzy Osbourne! Granted, he's also worked with Wilco which is a tad closer to home.

You won't hear many better songs this year so pay attention at the back.

Finlay Morton - Laughing Man

Well I'm glad to see that Pip Williams, erstwhile Status Quo producer, is still getting work. But fear not you boogie free freaks! this is far removed from the heads down no nonsense joys of the Quo.

Finlay was born in Aberdeen but shunning the sheep bothering antics of the locals has turned himself into a Celtic influenced troubadour. And a damn fine job he does of it as well, with a readily identifiable voice and a lovely way with a memorable melody. All together now, "you're just a sheep sh....."

JacksonsWarehouse - Hotel By The Sea

'Jeepers, creepers, where'd you get those peepers'. At least that's what I keep singing along to the chorus.

Something that I'm sure would upset the rather dour faced combo peering out of the press release. But at least 'Hotel By The Sea' is a bouncy, catchy tune that will have all you pop pickers picking pop.

Unlike 'Still' which had me screaming in actual bodily pain as they turned into [choke] the Smiths, destroying the favourable impression they'd built up. Fact: the only time I've bottled a band was the Smiths at Glastonbury ('83?).

They try to redeem themselves with the fey 'Other Boys' but it's too little to late. Damn you, Moz!

Meeky Rosie - Nobody Gets Away

Oh dear. Winner of Radio 1's Zane Lowe's '"fresh meat", I can only assume that they have won a pert bottom competition, because their music is so generic indie it actually has the words 'generic indie' inserted as a subliminal message.

Mind you, when you rattle off influences like Radiohead and My Bloody 'Bloody' Valentine you deserve every beating that gets handed out to you by random hordes of seal club wielding Ostrogoths.

Listen to the swirl, sigh at the soar, try to remove your ears with a blunt pencil sharpener. Why me?

'Blackhole', the B-side was alreet man, mind. It just couldn't blank out the horrors of what had gone before.

Alfie Kingston - She's Scary


Hallo, it's Alfie. We liked his last record ' I Will Wait' saying Alfie "has come up with a string drenched, hard driving, melodic slice of classic rock, crossed with seventies pop that crosses too many boundaries for its own good, but still manages to command attention." In fact we were so right they use one of my lines on the press release.

Of course, if this had been rubbish I'd have been left looking like a proper fool (again) but it's a clip-cloppingly splendid pop tune which bears no resemblance to Guns n' Roses (you had to be there). It's quite dark as befits its title but still melodic.

Even better, AA side ' A Little Nonsense' goes all Barenaked Ladies on your ass and is infuriatingly addictive. Good work, fella.

They Came From The Stars, I Saw Them - It's True


Oh good. Another bunch of nutters have managed to track me down to my bunker hidden in the far northlands, away from the prying eyes of man. Gits.

Mond you, if anyone was likely to do it, then I'd have put my money on a Flaming Lips tribute band. After all, the Polyphonic Spree found me. Fortunately I should hear them coming for although I don't keep track of technical specs a 25 piece band sounds like too many, and should be audible from miles away.

Depending on your connection to reality this is either an unlistenable mess or a mothertruckin' riot. I wasn't made for this world so I'm going for the latter. And my current favourite sandwich is egg and red onion.

Alex Gomez - Warm Sensations


If you like Keb' Mo' and Eric Clapton you'll probably hate Alex Gomez. So says the press bumph and one can't help but heartily agree. For there is nothing 'safe' about Alex Gomez and his take on the blues.

We loved 'Always Never', the last album from Senor Gomez and having given this several spins can think of no reason why we should change our opinion of his dazed and confused stoner punk blues.

It's just a man howling away in visceral fashion while terrorising an electric guitar, a sound primal and vital. And no, I've no idea why I adopted the imperial "we" in the last paragraph.

This is the soundtrack to your next bout of hellraising. Crank up the 'Boogie Shak' and keep on rocking!

Anthill - Waiting For The Sun


Album number 3 from the former Canadian heavy rockers. Um, I mean, they're still Canadian but have left their nineties rock music far behind them. Right.

These days they're virtually a power pop band all glistening melodies and big choruses. Chuck in a few top quality harmonies and you're left with an album that'll be appearing in 'lost classics' lists a decade down the line.

When they slow it down a bit they go all American Music Club, which is high praise indeed. Eight tracks of pure pleasure, this is a proper grown up album you won't be ashamed to play at your next proper grown up soiree.

Boggie - same


Boggie. Not an overly attractive name in my part of the world. A bit like me adopting the name Shunky. It would cause a few laughs in darkest Polbeth but that's about it.

Anyway, New York resident, Boguslava Dmitrova (for it is she) has certainly come up with an interesting sound. One part Scissors Sisters, one part Gary Numan and one part 80s popstrel Tiffany, it's a strange combination of fragility and automaton.

At times Boggie sounds like a twelve year old let loose with a Rolf Harris Stylophone but on the best tracks - 'Discomaker', the ballad 'Dreamwalking' and the downright weird heavenly vision of 'Angels Of Fire' it's like nothing you've heard before.