A Thin Line
Black Chords
(Universal)
(Pop)
Reviewed by Phil Bennett

Melbourne’s Black Chords’ second album follows a blueprint that owes much to Coldplay - grand, sweeping vistas of sound, a sensual lead singer who sounds like he’s mining a very dark space, and songs that create a mood and never let go.

Their sound is extremely cinematic, painting a bold, broad canvas for singer/songwriter Nick Milwright’s tunes to occupy.

Like the snowscape that sprawls across the album cover, there is an horizonless ambience throughout but, much like the sudden twists of nature, there are bursts of unbridled energy that advance and retreat, adding to the overall experience.

As Night Falls and Into The Unknown are majestically beautiful, while Dance Dance Dance and Oh No kick things up a notch with their driving beats and chugging guitars.

From the opening slow build of the title track to the closing notes of Until The Day I Die, this album is a gripping listen that constantly verges on being quite brilliant.

Melodic, richly textured and gloriously moody, it’s beautifully recorded and thoughtfully executed.

This is music to close your eyes to and get swept away with.

A cut above.

FUT.UR.ISM
Ministry Of Sound
(Ministry Of Sound)
(Mixed compilation)
Reviewed by Phil Bennett

Ministry Of Sound compilations are always interesting affairs and FUT.UR.ISM is no exception.

Their brief generally conforms to the guidelines of electronica collections - an almost DIY attitude of what used to be called the mix tape. In other words, grab your favourite songs by a range of artists and gather them together for an extended listen.

As an artform, this has come quite a long way over the years and now the tracks themselves are played with, remixed and opened up, while the original tracks segue together seamlessly without breaks.

As a musical journey, this album travels into some unexpected places, with moments of sheer beauty interspersed with slices of electro-soul, ambient soundscapes, and beats that range from the suggested to being quite upfront.

A bit like the shopping list sticky note at the front of your trolley, there’s icecream as well as ghee, frozen peas as well as raw vegetables.

Some tracks will appeal deeply, while others will appear less tasty.
Artists range from Flume to Radiohead, Groove Armada and Chet Faker with a cast of hundreds in between.

To these ears, an extremely pleasant selection that sets a cruising, relaxed mood that gracefully bears repeated listens.
Strangely cohesive and thoroughly enjoyable

Melody's Echo Chamber
Melody's Echo Chamber
(Shock)
(Pop)
Reviewed by Phil Bennett

Melody's Echo Chamber is a place of enigmatic meanderings through a misty, slightly cracked looking glass.

A place where Paris-based Melody Prochet's crystalline vocal tones cast an ethereal sheen over a kaleidoscopic carpet of flanged guitars, McCartneyesque bass patterns and strangely hypnotic drum beats.

Inventive in its sonic exploration, due to the hazy crazy production ethic of Tame Impala's Kevin Parker, this album takes some delving into before all its dusty jewels are unearthed.

A casual listen brings to mind the dreamy excursions created by the Cocteau Twins - there's an incoherence in the lyrics making the voice more and more simply a part of the sound fabric rather than a deliverer of messages - and the spirit of that band definitely haunts every winding corridor.

But there's a uniqueness in the wry delivery of the whole, an imaginative collision of distorted guitars to create softness and spatters of synth noises and gated cymbals to create hardness. What an extraordinary world this is!

Not at all instant, but subtly enduring as it wends its way from track to track, unfurling slowly like a darkly mesmerising viper.

An album of coolly crafted creations, Melody's Echo Chamber sounds like 3D looks, full of wondrous colours, sparkling reflections and endless tunnels.

Quite fantastical.

Beyond Was All Around Me
Young Man
(Liberator)
(Pop)
Reviewed by Phil Bennett

The beautiful cover photo for this new album gives a compelling clue to the sounds within - sepia toned shots of erupting volcanoes and pyroclastic flows courtesy of the US Geological Survey.

The images are cinematic and timeless, evoking thoughts of vast spaces, adventure, man's microscopic place in the universe, text books, television screens warning of impending nuclear war, and posters on university bedsit walls.

Like the songs, there are hints of many things without actually defining anything in particular.

Track titles include In A Time, Being Alone, School, and My Days, which all give a vague intimation of the thought process behind singer/songwriter Colin Caulfield's latest creation.

The overall lyrical theme is one of progression and moving on - this is achieved with a hovering indirectness and from a purely referential point of view, like a series of sidelong glances at moving pictures.

Musically, the songs are marked by clean rhythms, succinct, tasty embellishments and catchy licks, albeit coloured by a pervading mood of quiet melancholy reflection.

Beyond Was All Around Me is a recording of considerable charms, stretching like a panoramic view, a sweeping broad experience dotted with a host of ear and eye catching landmarks.

Captivating.

Blue Sky Blue - The Byron Sessions
Pete Murray
(Sony)
(Pop)

Pete Murray released his fourth album, Blue Sky Blue, in 2011. Two years later he's now put out a reworking of the album in its entirety, a move which appears to be the kickstarter for some acoustic, unplugged touring.

Which begs the question - is it better than the original?

Given the quality of this man's songwriting, the answer is simply that it's on a par, with the albums working just as well side by side or by themselves.

The performances are warmer (which is saying something!), more rustic and homespun, with a lovely seabreeze air that comes from revisiting them on his home turf.

Murray is a lyricist of insight and economic detail, with a disarmingly romantic vocal tone irrespective of any darkness that may lurk within the words, and a tunesmith who creates melodies that are strikingly resonant as they combine catchy tunes with moody atmospherics.

And he's brought in a fine bunch of friends to help out, including Bernard Fanning, Ash Grunwald and Katie Noonan.

Highlights are everywhere, from the instantly snaring opening lines of the title track to Noonan's solo vocal spots on the closing Hold It All For Love.

Shimmering, intoxicating sounds, heartfelt performances and some truly great songs.

What more could you ask for?

Engrossing.

It's On
Wolfe Brothers
(ABC)
(alt.country)
Reviewed by Phil Bennett

Tennessee, Alabama...Tasmania!

No longer do we immediately associate musical genres with their places of origin. With the advent of radio, recording and the internet, location has become irrelevant as long as the spirit's there.

Blues players hail from Paris, jigs are played in China, and the Wolfe Brothers, a brand new top class country recording act, comes from Australia's southernmost state.

A hectic gigging schedule has been rewarded by their effortless command of all things country -from rocking deep fried Southern boogie to sweet prairie ballads.

Led by brothers, Nick and Tom Wolfe on guitar and bass, they are a four piece who attack their craft with tangible passion.

There's energy to burn on numbers like the title track and The Hardest Way, with the rhythm section rolling like a steam train beneath strident vocals and some killer guitar picking.

Then there's the ballads selection, with songs such as All We Wanna Do and Highway Sky striking a masterful balance between sweet and sour, soft and hard - melodic with a punch.

This band doesn't break any new musical ground (think anyone from Van Zant to Keith Urban), but what they do they do in a manner that makes you sit up and take notice.

If you have a liking for country that rocks, chances are this album will strike the right chord.

There's a new gang in town.

Bastards
Bjork
(Breakaway Recordings)
(Remix)
Reviewed by Phil Bennett

Welcome to the fantastical world of the category defying Bjork, where it appears that rainbows are sepia, mirages 3D and butterflies have razor sharp fangs.

Her latest album, which is a compilation of remixed tracks from her Biophilia release, sees her extending her kaleidoscopic vision to incorporate collaborations with the likes of Hudson Mohawke and Omar Souleyman.

A fascinating experiment, with the original album having been presented as a multimedia exploration of nature and technology with each song available as an individual app, it is really quite a logical step for Bjork to present the songs again in a series of new shape shifting mixes.

And the results are simply astonishing.

This is not obvious music, nor is it straightforward and there are no instant hooks to snare you in.

What she presents, however, is quite unique -elliptical in approach and tantalisingly out of reach from the norm.

Her voice warbles and careens through washes of atmospheric clouds of music, at times soft and willowy, at others dark and angry.

With Bjork the possibilities are seemingly endless. It may not be to your taste but the experience is unforgettable.

A strange sensation.

Family Pets
Julia and the Deep Sea Sirens
(Positive Feedback)
(alt. folk)
Reviewed by Phil Bennett

Canberra-based singer/songwriter/musician, Julia Johnson, has fronted the Deep Sea Sirens for eight years and the togetherness is really beginning to show.

Family Pets is an album of many shades, full of gentle tempos, interesting instrumentation (the autoharp being Johnson's tool of choice), and a voice that casually transforms from sweet and bird- like to full voiced exclamations with apparently little effort - check out Goodbye Party's vocal athletics for an ear-opening experience.

The way she tackles the melodies is much like Sarah Blasko, veering from sonorous purr to carefree frivolous joy, peppered with explosive leaps.

All of which are engagingly mirrored by the accompaniment, particularly on numbers like Nicholas Told Me, where the understated interplay between cello and low percussion is quite remarkable.

Elsewhere, Little Surprises is radio-friendly and relaxed with its simple wordless refrain, while Acquaintance Of Mine is a candid and brilliantly succinct self examination set to a funereal waltz step.

These are songs of beauty and sparkle that range from bleak to delightful, all the while remaining acutely melodic.

There's an honesty in the performances that greets you with open arms making it easy and inviting for the listener to step inside the music.

Get acquainted.

Lawless Soundtrack
(Various Artists)
(Sony)
(Bluegrass)
Reviewed by Phil Bennett

Based on the novel The Wettest Country In The World by Matthew Bondurant, Lawless is a wild, four sheets to the wind story of a family of bootleggers during the Prohibition Era.

The film is a visceral, earthy tale that reeks of sawdust, whiskey stills and gunpowder, and its soundtrack is a mesmerising journey into this world of loyalty, treachery and desperate survival.

It's a masterful collection of songs - contemporary numbers from the likes of Lou Reed, Townes Van Zandt and Captain Beefheart delivered with an Appalachian twist by the Bootleggers (Nick Cave and Warren Ellis) and led by a host of legendary singers such as Ralph Stanley and Emmylou Harris.

Having previously worked together on the powerful soundtracks to The Proposition and The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford, it comes as no surprise that Cave and Ellis could pull off something special. And they have.

Utilising an 85 year old bluegrass veteran to perform Lou Reed's ode to heroin, White Light/White Heat in a film about bootleg white lightning is a stroke of understated genius, wrapping the past, the present, the hillbilly back porch and the seedy alleyways of New York City into one universal parcel.

It seems the story remains the same, only the people and places have changed.

With additional vocal contributions from the angelic Emmylou Harris, the gravelly Mark Lanegan and the wistful Willie Nelson, the album is a uniquely cinematic collection of non-cinematic pieces that does that rare thing that many soundtracks are unable to do, which is to stand by itself as an exciting listening experience.

Rustic, raw and cleverly perceptive. Musical moonshine.

Chillout Sessions XV
Ministry Of Sound
(Ministry Of Sound)
(Mixed compilation)
Reviewed by Phil Bennett

An easy going but, in the end, fairly sweaty selection of songs, Chillout Sessions XV features some great contemporary tracks with some fairly interesting mixes, but its title is a bit of a misnomer.

Disc one starts things off in a cool, relaxed way, with tracks from Gotye and Missy Higgins slipping out of the speakers like a pair of eels slicing their way through the water.

From there, the songs sort of roll together, finding their grooves and settling in comfortably one after another.

As a chillout compilation, its purpose is well served - although there are 20 tracks from as many artists they do all seem to blend together as one.

Whispering past like an extremely light breeze they form a perfect soundtrack with the volume turned down low.

Disc 2, however, takes a turn for the worse and, given the amount of material on offer, it's quite unnecessary.

The chill seems to melt away as the heat gets turned up, with disco beats becoming the order of the day. Which is not to say that it's a bad selection with the likes of Lana Del Rey in there, but DCUP and Volta Bureau sound more like "get up and boogie" clarion calls than "chillout and lay back" as the compilation's title suggests.

A reasonably good, although slightly misguided, compilation which would have been better served as a single disc.

There are enough great artists such as Angus Stone and Alpine to raise it above average, but, at the end of the day, contains too much out of kilter filler to take it to the top of the class.

Archie Roach's new album is not just an ordinary release. In fact, it's quite extraordinary.

In the past three years he lost his soulmate, Ruby Hunter, he suffered a stroke which required relearning how to perform his craft, and then he was diagnosed with lung cancer resulting in the removal of half a lung.

Much like Johnny Cash's last albums, you can hear the hard times in his voice.

But where Cash's last works were marked by a resigned desperation, this album exudes a resilience and sense of triumph over adversity reflecting his ability to overcome a series of hardships that would have sent a lot of us into a spiralling spirit of defeat.

The songs speak of the power of music (Song To Sing), his oneness with this country (Into The Bloodstream), the heartbreak of his personal loss (Mulyawongk), and the possibilities of redemption (Wash My Soul In The River's Flow).

They're beautiful songs and this is a beautiful album - uplifting, joyous and a sheer delight to listen to.

As the wonderful sleeve notes say:

"Even though we may be suffering with some sort of chronic pain we can learn to live with and manage it with the right attitude to life and some good medicine. Doing this album has been good medicine for me!"

You can't keep a good man down.

Superb.

Fifty years on this earth is a milestone worthy of celebration. Fifty years as one of the most successful and influential bands in the world is a landmark that's both curious and really quite astounding.

Grrr! is a compilation that acts as a time machine in your memory as it charts the Rolling Stones' singles from their first enthusiastic but amateurish adventure (Chuck Berry's Come On) right through to their two brand new songs, Doom And Gloom and One More Shot, both of which jump out of the starting blocks with the same sense of energy and excitement. While many of the songs on display are mini masterclasses on the power of rock'n'roll in the hands of experts - their roughshod combination of lurching bass and drums, weaving guitar lines and raunchy vocal swagger set the blueprint for thousands of bands to follow - they haven't been afraid to venture into uncharted territory.

Putting out the steamy languid blues of Little Red Rooster was a brave deed for a pop act of 1964 and the simple idea of putting a four on the floor bass drum pattern to Miss You seemed sacrilegious at a time when punk's anarchy was waging war with disco's apparent shallowness. But they both worked and they're both timeless.

Then you have the sweet string quartet on As Tears Go By, the psychedelic swirl of We Love You and the Latin piano and percussion groove of Sympathy For The Devil.Hardly seen as adventurous, the Stones were in fact quite revolutionary when it comes to trying a few new tricks - the abovementioned Sympathy doesn't even feature a guitar till the solo and when it does, Keith Richards' jagged combination of three or four notes is sharper than a blade. One of the great dance floor guarantees of all time, Honky Tonk Women, features nothing but drum, cowbell and one guitar for the entire first verse, with the bass only entering for the chorus, a trick employed not much later by Free on the equally iconic All Right Now.

Add to all this the classic ear grabbing riffs that herald the arrival of numbers like Jumpin' Jack Flash, Brown Sugar, Satisfaction and Start Me Up and you've pretty well covered all bases. The triple disc version contains a staggering 50 tracks, the majority of which are stunning with the balance merely very good to great. Long may they reign. The world just wouldn't be the same without them.

Enjoy the trip.

The Moment
Mia Dyson
(Co-Op)
(Pop)
Reviewed by Phil Bennett

It’s been a tough couple of years for Melbourne’s Mia Dyson, with her journey through the American music business landscape teaching her some hard lessons.

And it’s from these adventures/misadventures that this bluesy singer/songwriter has produced an outstanding album of rockers and ballads that are delivered with a perfect balance of desperation and sheer passion.

Dyson has a voice that sounds as if blended from a rough mix of sourmash and cigarettes as she pitches the ragged vibrato of Lucinda Williams along with the scratchy rasp of Melissa Etheridge.

And her guitar playing is fluid and muscular, as she drives the band through these ten songs.

From the pumping When The Moment Comes to the melancholy To Fight Is To Lose, the players deliver top notch performances as they cook up quite a storm.

Jesse provides the album’s highlight. A touching, dramatic ballad from the point of view of a mother who was deemed unfit to be a parent, it contains a vocal performance that is plaintive, pleading, angry and barely restrained. Stirring stuff.

This really could be Mia Dyson’s moment as this album is an absolute killer which deserves to be listened to far and wide.

Packs a powerful punch.

Thefearofmissingout
Thenewno2
(Shock)
(pop)
Reviewed by Phil Bennett

A loose rock collective fronted by Dhani Harrison and electronics whizz Paul Hecks, Thenewno2 embrace mystery and anonymity with both their line up and their very name which refers to that wonderful British 60s TV show, The Prisoner.

A group inside joke is to call Facebook FOMO Book, which reflects today’s obsession with technology and questions people’s need to be constantly accessing instant information just in case they’re missing out on something.

This is their second album and it is eclectic and modern, traversing a genre spanning soundscape.

Harrison’s voice has a little of his father’s (George) dreamy quality, but here the comparison ends as sounds and styles mix and match like a psychedelic kaleidoscope.

Even though the songs could survive quite easily with minimal adornment, there is such a welter of sonic ideas going on at the same time that repeated listens constantly unearth new surprises.

Full marks go to the visionary editing and production values, as there is never a dull moment, even on the most deceptively simple of arrangements.

There’s rock, pop, hip hop, psychedelia, electronic effects, cooing harmonies, distorted guitars, reverb drenched piano, and a myriad of lovely hooks.

Fresh, vital and brimful of disparate ideas that somehow seem to gel, Thefearofmissingout is well worth investigating.

A terrific album.

Quiet Heart – Best Of
Go Betweens
(EMI)
(Indie Rock)
(Reviewed by Phil Bennett)

The Go Betweens were formed in Brisbane in 1977 by the two singer/songwriter/guitarists, Grant McLennan and Robert Forster. With the latter’s irony and the former’s more romantic sensitivity, they combined very much like an Antipodean Lennon and McCartney, pulling the best from each other’s distinct styles to create songs that are quite simply in a league of their own.

They weren’t Countdown stars, were rarely played on commercial radio, and cover bands don’t have their songs requested, but the Go Betweens were, without doubt, one of the greatest groups to come out of Australia.

Having ever had only three songs to trouble the lower reaches of the top 100, it’s a sad truth that only in hindsight have they been fully appreciated by the music industry and the establishment in general.

Cattle And Cane was selected by APRA as one of the top 30 Australian songs of all time, 16 Lover’s Lane was featured on the SBS series The Great Australian Albums, and in 2009 Brisbane City Council renamed the Hale Street Link as Go Between Bridge in their honour.

Quiet Heart is a compilation selected by the surviving musicians themselves (Grant McLennan sadly passed away in 2006) and covers their entire recorded career from 1978 to 2005.

From the sunshine pop of Love Goes On to the lo-fi narrative angst of Karen, the achingly romantic Dive For Your Memory and the sparkling Streets Of Your Town, these songs are example after example of sublime songwriting genius, some of which hooks you instantly, while others reveal their treasures only after further exploration.

A carefully chosen collection of brilliant songs by a brilliant band. In a word - brilliant.

Spring And Fall
Paul Kelly
(Gawd Aggie)
(Singer/songwriter)
Reviewed by Phil Bennett

It’s a few years since Paul Kelly hit us with a new album, but the man has been busy as a beaver, writing a book, filming a biographical documentary, as well as working on the presentation of a new song cycle based on his own lyrics and poems by the likes of Yeats and Tennyson.

Presumably to take a break from this hectic schedule, he decided to make another album.

Recorded in a Gippsland hall, Kelly’s 19th studio album is a collaboration of three - himself, longtime duo partner and nephew Dan Kelly, and producer/multi-instrumentalist Greg J Walker.

As with most of his material, the songs sound like the words of an old friend - warm, friendly and, at times, very wise indeed.

Lyrically, they’re linked by the theme of love and are drawn together with the textual connections of time, the seasons and the elements of nature.

The playing is concise and evocative, the tunes instantly accessible and the distinctive voice as rich and resonant as always.

A prodigious talent and wonderful storyteller who continues to create timeless songs that are intrinsically woven into Australia’s contemporary cultural fabric, Paul Kelly just keeps coming up with the goods.

Spring And Fall is yet another in that succession of albums that justifies his reputation as one of the country’s top artists.

Excellent once again.

Wreck And Ruin
Kasey Chambers and Shane Nicholson
(Liberation)
(Alt.country)
Reviewed by Phil Bennett

Recorded in the Hunter Valley, Wreck And Ruin’s creators are well and truly Australian but you’d be forgiven for thinking they come from the Black Hills of Dakota.

As a follow up to the multi-award winning Rattlin’ Bones, Kasey Chambers and Shane Nicholson’s latest offering takes off from where they previously pressed the stop button as they reel off a string of back porch toe tappers marked by hillbilly harmonies and plucked banjos.

The duo borrow elements of bluegrass, folk and roots to produce their sound but their blueprint remains their warm, cosied up by the fire harmonies.

High spots include the stomping title track, the frantic Dustbowl which manages to keep the brakes on slightly enough to not let it get away from itself, the sixth sense vocal intertwining on the soulful and melancholy Your Sweet Love, and the delightful Sick As A Dog.

Supported by a new backing band, the playing is tight and energetic, sounding as if they’ve been together as a family, and the songs themselves are simple, catchy and heartfelt.

Topped off with a wonderful cover portrait by Kerry Evans done in Mexican Day of the Dead style, Wreck And Ruin is a delightful collection that should keep the awards rolling in.

Homemade and homespun while sounding as if it’s from the other side of the world, it’s an absolute blinder.

Mojo Juju
Mojo Juju
(ABC Music)
(Blues/jazz)
Reviewed by Phil Bennett

Opening with the honk of a baritone saxophone like a foghorn on a moonlit waterfront, Mojo Juju takes you to a dark alleyway of underhand deals, fast talking zoot suited conmen, and girls that can bring on palpitations and breathlessness with a passing wink.

Welcome to Melbourne artist Mojo Juju’s world, where love is measured in skin ink and scars, both emotional and physical, are a fashion statement.

Capturing the tone and feel of early blues, jazz and Latin American Pachuco culture of the 1930s and 1940s, this album is wickedly brilliant.

From the Peggy Lee sass of Pony Takes A Powder to the sleazy Frankie Baby and the devastatingly tactile I Put A Spell On You, you’re taken on a wild trip to a time that exists only in scratchy black and white film reprints.

Drums, bass, guitar, sax and occasional electric piano form the crux of the sound and when they swing they do so like there’s no tomorrow, and when they get down and dusky they wobble together like a marionette’s limbs.

Mojo Juju herself has a voice soaked in bourbon, menthol cigarettes and endless forgettable experiences, and she flips her words like shoulder shrugs.

Serving as keepers of the flame, they bring back the times that existed before they were even born, all the while sounding like they’re living it right now.

Bawdy and beguiling.

A Is For Alpine
Alpine
(Ivy League)
(Pop)
Reviewed by Phil Bennett

Previously named The Swiss, renamed Melbourne outfit, Alpine, appear Scandinavian in both name and sound thanks to the ethereal dual vocal frontline of Lou James and Phoebe Baker.

Their presentation is as precise and efficient as a Swiss clock, with elegantly understated, clipped guitar chops and simple, unswerving drums and bass.

Which could, if not combined with such enchanting melodies, come across as a bit too cold for comfort.

Add to this a pair of voices floating over the top that could charm the grumpiest of ears, and you end up with an album of rippling little numbers that actually sound lush in their simplicity.

The band is relatively young and will no doubt expand on their sound and future releases may see more of the musicians’ personalities come to the fore.

As it is, though, the individuals seem to live by the ethic of doing it for the team, limiting their input to what’s required for the sound they’re aiming to create.

And this philosophy, for the time being, works a treat.
Quirky, light and breezy with the hint of an ominous dark cloud on the horizon.

Highly listenable.

Latino
Milos Karadaglic
(Deutsche Grammophon)
Reviewed by Phil Bennett
(Classical guitar)

In this, his second solo recording, classical guitarist Milos Karadaglic takes on the music of Latin America and the result is a tango-riddled excursion of exquisite sensuality.

Hailing from Montenegro, Karadaglic is only 29 but, having started learning from the age of eight and advancing to concert hall performances by 14, his relative youth belies his experience and sheer mastery of the instrument.

There are so many outstanding moments on this recording, whether it’s the staccato perfection of Un Sueno En La Florenta, the flurries of notes that cascade like waterfalls on Danza Brazilera, or the restrained lightness of touch on Un Dia De Noviembre.

On Piazzolla’s pure tango Nuevo pieces, Oblivion and Libertango, he effortlessly summons up the elemental energy of the form, without pushing too hard or overstating his authority, gently caressing the strings so as to seduce the listener with their inherent suggested rhythms.

The recording itself is intimate and subtly produced, the focus being on the natural tone of the guitar, with the addition of strings on just four of the tracks.

A sublimely sweeping series of pieces played sweetly, surely and authentically.

Seriously inviting stuff.

Banga
Patti Smith
(Sony)
(Rock)
Reviewed by Phil Bennett

Patti Smith is Patti Smith. And she still is. Lyrically, she still inhabits that dark nether world explored by the likes of Nick Cave and, rather more clumsily, Jim Morrison, with references to angels, Ancient poets and a tangled serpent of bodily and spiritual sensuality.

Musically, she is still New York City, with all the layers that implies.Banga is one of her best albums in years - focused, moving, unnerving, and weaving a fine balance between pop sensibility and punk attitude.

Tunes like April Fool and This Is The Girl are masterful pop songs that skim pleasantly past your ears, while numbers such as Tarkovsky and Seneca tug you by the lobe and draw you deep into their swirl.

Constantine’s Dream, a compelling spoken/snarled poem set to a dramatic backdrop of wailing violin, Lenny Kaye’s disturbing guitar strums and a throbbing rhythm, is the epicentre of this work.

Inspired by Pierro della Francesca’s painting The Legend Of The True Cross, it groans and shudders like a monolith staggering under its own weight, as Smith throws out words like so much ballast. With just this one number, Smith confirms her place in popular culture’s firmament, showing that, at age 65, she is still as unique and uncompromising as she ever was.

A rich work from a powerful artist.

Spirit Rising
Angelique Kidjo
(Shock)
(African)
Reviewed by Phil Bennett

As expected, this live offering sees the exuberant Beninese singer, Angelique Kidjo, delivering a series of performances that showcase her voice and her musical cohorts to full nape tingling effect.

These songs simply shout out “celebrate!” Uplifting and upbeat, they urge your body and spirit to dance, while even the ballads conspire to send your heart skyward, as beautiful vocal chants push and pull against driving Afro-pop, soul and calypso rhythms to create a spicy brew that is hot, hot, hot.

She really shines with her original numbers, such as Afrika and Agolo, with their joyful melodies bringing the sounds of Africa rattling to your doorstep.

But the way she transforms standards into whole new concepts is quite spellbinding.

The Rolling Stones’ Gimme Shelter turns the tide from sinister to festive, Gershwin’s Summertime invokes the African savannah by moonlight, while Curtis Mayfield’s Move On Up shifts into fifth gear with the help of some mighty sax blowing from Branford Marsalis.

Spirit Rising is a musical salad tossed with all manner of dressing - exciting backbeats, loping bass feels, a diverse range of African instrumentation, a full vocal chorus to die for and her winning voice sailing over the top.

Magic.

For True
Trombone Shorty
(Jazz/funk)
(Verve)
Reviewed by Phil Bennett

If there was ever a spokesman for the trombone as an instrument of choice, then Troy Andrews aka Trombone Shorty would appear to be the most suitable man on the planet.

This silver-lipped genius escalates the instrument to a level of cool that’s unprecedented.

He plays it like Stanley Clarke plays his bass or Jeff Beck plays his guitar - full of sass, style and sheer class.

Not only that, but he manages to produce an endless series of spectacular sounds from the trumpet, organ, drums, piano, various keyboards, and percussion.

Oh yes, and he sings as well.

And writes or co-writes all the songs.

The grooves on this album are white hot and the ensemble playing, an exciting blend of uncanny precision and human looseness, is simply first rate.

And there’s a deliciously diverse array of stylistic input, with dollops of New Orleans swagger mixing it with New York jazz and Philadelphia funk.

An excellent album on all fronts.

Named after a combination of Prince Buster (Jamaican recording pioneer), mento (Jamaican folk music style which predates both ska and reggae), Alexander Bustamente (Jamaica’s first prime minister), and a bustament (Maltese for “a very big boat”), Nicky Bomba’s new band swings and rolls like a bustament on a king tide.

Combining original compositions with lively interpretations of numbers from the likes of Harry Belafonte and Peggy Lee, their debut album is a joyful journey to a musical tropical paradise.

Occasionally frantic and always celebratory, the album paddles in some bouncy musical waters as calypso, mento and reggae rhythms ripple through the songs.

Boasting an effortless dexterity, Bomba’s outfit steer their way around these tunes as if Jamaican riddims are what power their heartbeats.

They play with humour and light hearted elegance as they emulate the sound of a place long ago and far away.

Top marks also go to the packaging of this album - a beautifully illustrated hard cover book designed in the style of a 50s Adventures For Boys publication.Think balmy breezes, cocktail umbrellas and endless stretches of turquoise water.

And coconuts.

Tom Whisky Blues
Pete Cullen
(Independent)
(Country/Blues)
Reviewed by Phil Bennett

Recorded in just a couple of days, Pete Cullen’s debut album is an absolute corker.

With minimal overdubs and maximum energy, it’s a hark back to the days when a band would roll up to the studio, set up the gear, count to four and see you at the end.

There’s plenty of aggressive guitar led rock (Howlin’ Wolf, Keep Walking) but there’s also a fine spray of sunny melodies, such as on the evocative title track and the simple, poignant Coffee House.

Cullen himself is a guitarist of considerable ability, whether it be bending the electric or lightly strumming an acoustic, while his sometimes gentle, sometimes gruff voice casts a lovely deep, dark country veil over proceedings.

Ably backed by the sterling Rockwiz house band, the results are top quality without being too slick.

Good songs, good singing and good playing.

A stirring debut.

Wrecking Ball
Bruce Springsteen
(Sony)
Reviewed by Phil Bennett
(pop)

Bruce Springsteen’s mastery of storytelling continues undiminished and Wrecking Ball, his 17th studio album, shows that he’s still got a lot to shout about.

And he’s doing it just as cleverly, making decidedly unpatriotic statements with all American gung ho choruses, much as he did with Born In The USA, on songs such as the thundering opener, We Take Care Of Our Own.

There are moving ballads that speak of the plight of the working man (Jack Of All Trades and We Are Alive) and there’s plenty of religious imagery (the extraordinarily beautiful Rocky Ground and Land Of Hope And Dreams), reflecting a sense of hope within the struggle.

His voice is till the same after all these years - richly gruff and bristling with a 5 o’clock shadow - while the players, though not the E Street Band, provide a rock steady, empathetic accompaniment for the lyrics and melodies to roll over.

Lashings of melodrama, some rattling grooves and plenty of fist in the air singalongs - all the ingredients you’d expect from one of Springsteen’s stronger efforts. His passion continues to grow and he’s even brought back the big snare drum. Excellent stuff.

How About I Be Me
(And You Be You)?
Sinead O’Connor
(One Little Indian)
(Pop)

Sinead O’Connor has ruffled quite a few feathers over the years and her latest offering sees her continue on in her outspoken way, sniping at the Catholic Church (Take Off Your Shoes), celebrity culture (VIP) and even herself (Queen Of Denmark).

An unusual figure in the fairly predictable world of popular music, O’Connor is now 45 but there’s plenty of kick left as she shrills, warbles and whispers her way through her most accessible set of tunes for a while.

Strong on melodies and inspiration - parenthood and ageing being the central driving forces - the songs are steered by her sure, evocative voice which seems to make each note ring with slight desperation. When she’s up (4th And Vine) she celebrates it with the abandon of a teenager, and when she quietens down and reflects (Very Far From Home and I Had A Baby) she does so with an introspection that is quite spellbinding.

There are some intriguing lyrical images and some magical musical ideas but, above all, the tunes on this album are strong, immediate and favourable to oft repeated listens. Still feisty and, quite honestly, in a strange league of her own, she’s the kind of artist who’ll make you sing along then criticise you for blindly doing so.

Special.

Outlands
Deep Sea Arcade
(Ivy League)
(Pop)
Reviewed by Phil Bennett

For a debut album, Outlands is remarkably focussed and filled with the breadth of possibility that doesn’t usually come about till a second or third release.

These songs have fermented over a number of years before finally being permanently recorded.
And the results are quite stunning, with a host of 60s pop influences mixed into the blender with a delightful stew of dreamy guitars, ethereal harmonies, and dashes of mellotron.

Lyrically, the songs embrace love and relationships with a number referencing films that presumably had an impact on Nic McKenzie during his time as a film student.

The title track quotes from Jean Luc Godard’s Alphaville, Girls was inspired by Richard Lowenstein’s Dogs In Space, while If The Devil Won’t Take You springs from the Peter Sellers film After The Fox.

An album of hummable tunes, thoughtful lyrics and a rainbow of subtle musical touches, Outlands is a classy pop album that contains surface thrills as well as an ocean full of depth, both lyrically and sonically.

A fine debut indeed.

Amber Lawrence
(Sony)
(Country)
Reviewed by Phil Bennett

Amber Lawrence’s third album is yet another strong release from this relative newcomer.

One of Australia’s most exciting young country artists, she’s got a closetful of awards over the past few years and her latest offering looks likely to strengthen her rapidly growing profile.

Opening with the catchy, upbeat Everything’s A Song, the mood of the album is set right from the start - subtle, breezy progressions, an easy on the ear vocal tone, memorable melodies and lyrics that reflect her optimistic view of things.

So, we’re not talking pure country here - more country rock or pop with a twang. Imagine Shania Twain with a rougher edge.

There are some great tracks on display - the brisk, strutting Everybody’s A Mess, the lilting reggaeish Huge and the melodramatic The Man Across The Street with its delicate vocal quiver and poignant lyrics.

Even if country’s not your thing, there’s plenty here for a range of tastes to savour.

Good quality songwriting and stylish performances all round.

All of which makes for a top notch listen.

African Beat
Various Artists
Putumayo
(African)
Reviewed by Phil Bennett

A sterling collection of contemporary numbers that combine African and western rhythms and instrumentation, African Beat is, as its title suggests, a sprightly array of songs infected with a highly contagious form of danceability.

The songs come from throughout the continent, with each conjuring up the sounds of their native land.

Senegal’s Lek Sen, for example, produces the cooly swishing Rebel Blues, while Mali’s Issa Bagayogo dishes up a delicious cocktail of finger snaps, African marimbas and tribal chanting on Kalan Nege.

Elsewhere, Fredy Massamba’s Zonza (Congo) stutters and twitches like an antelope’s ears and Donso’s Mogoya is a mesmerising groove that sees moogs sparring with clipped electric guitar lines to masterful effect.

A diverse range of sonic textures and intrinsic rhythms, this album’s a pothole-free ride through a host of African cultures.

And even if you don’t feel like actually getting up and dancing, having this on will set your toes tapping and that can’t be a bad thing can it?

Marvellous.

Born To Die
Lana Del Rey
(Universal)
(Pop)
Reviewed by Phil Bennett

There’s an eerie, ethereal mood about this haunting release from Lana Del Rey.

The lyrical equivalent of a David Lynch film, something dark and foreboding lurks behind the pretty façade, the characters often mistaking sex for love, brutality for strength and success for happiness.

A decidedly Phil Spectorish production ethic pervades with snare drums sounding like they’re recorded in a cathedral and epic, sweeping string arrangements gilding the lily.

Add to this the thoroughly modern use of vocal counterpoint as a rhythmic instrument, and you have a sound that is quite sensational.

Her voice is as strong as her image, perfectly controlled and allowing her to switch between warbling vibrato to soulful cry or majestic steadiness without batting a false eyelash.

The tunes stick in your head, resurfacing like a half forgotten memory long after the music’s finished.

Track after track – Born To Die, Blue Jeans, Video Games – it’s all there, production, performance and construct all cut from a superior cloth.

Ignore her recent bad press, close your eyes and just listen to the album. It’s dramatic, moody, and tinged with a delicious darkness.

Enthralling.

New Blood
Peter Gabriel
(Warner)
(Orchestral Pop)
(Reviewed by Phil Bennett)

Following on from last year’s Scratch My Back, wherein Gabriel covered a selection of his favourite songs whilst avoiding standard rock instrumentation, New Blood sees this enigmatic artist revisiting a selection from his own canon in like manner.

By repolishing this collection of well crafted treasures, different aspects shine while some of the original sparkling sheen is rubbed away, so that the original versions that are so familiar to your ears become like distant echoes reverberating through their new structures.

Which makes for a slightly shadowy, haunting listen, helped in no small part by the smouldering atmospheric nature of the songs themselves.

Gabriel’s trademark sonically superb drum sounds are replaced by solemn, threatening string arrangements, which provide a percussion free but equally sturdy platform for his rich, sullen voice.

A fun way to approach this album is to play the new and original versions side by side – some numbers will suffer in comparison while others will stand out as fascinating improvements.

An interesting experiment which allows the listener to see these songs through a different lens, the new arrangements will please some and infuriate others – an admirable quality indeed!

Dramatic and revealing.

Lioness: Hidden Treasures
Amy Winehouse
(Universal)
(Pop)
Reviewed by Phil Bennett

From Nick Drake to Jeff Buckley, the pop world is littered with shooting stars who shone brightly for a short while, leaving behind a recorded legacy that raises more questions and answers.
Amy Winehouse, the latest of these, is no exception.

Lioness doesn’t unearth the Rosetta Stone but it certainly digs up some gleaming gems that will tantalise fans and confirm what a fabulous singer she was.

Put together by her collaborators, Salaam Remi and Mark Ronson, it’s a combination of alternate takes, unreleased numbers and some new material which, when put together, sounds remarkably like a newly conceived album.

There are some splendid moments here where the songs and arrangements complement the rich musicality of her voice to mesmerising effect.

The opening Our Day Will Come is vintage Winehouse, a seductive blend of vulnerability and experience over a soulful reggae rhythm.
Elsewhere, she delivers a delicately powerful rendition of Carole King’s Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow, while her duet with Tony Bennett on Body And Soul might not be revelatory, but it’s certainly one for the history books.

A fine collection.

Seeds We Sow
Lindsey Buckingham
(Shock)
(Pop)
Reviewed by Phil Bennett

A veritable one man band on his new release, Lindsey Buckingham, wrote, sang, played, produced and mixed all the songs himself.
Recorded in his home studio in his own time without the pressures of being who he is, this is probably the kind of album that he should always be making.

Featuring 11 tracks which fuse his trademark, spiralling finger-picking with a melodic sensibility that has been evident from his glory days in Fleetwood Mac right through his steady release of solo albums, Seeds We Sow sparkles and delights with its home spun effervescence .
It’s honest, simple, and replete with his signature sound – startlingly good acoustic guitar arpeggios forming the basis of songs that feature reverb-drenched vocals and the occasional sideways step into crazy territory.

Highlights include the mad Tusklike drums that burst into the chorus of One Take, the undulating guitar lines that snake through In Our Time and the hypnotic, effect laden Stars Are Crazy.

Bookended by the breathy pastoral title track and a lovely version of the Rolling Stones’ She Smiled Sweetly, this is an ears only invitation into Buckingham’s world which will leave the listener smiling just as sweetly.

Familiar but surprising at the same time.

To The Horses
Lanie Lane
(Ivy League)
(Rockabilly)
Reviewed by Phil Bennett

Recorded in just four days, Lanie Lane's debut album is a terrifically exciting breath of fresh air that canters along with a spring in its step and a knowing backward glance at the days of maltshops, drive ins and bobby sox.

At only 24, she's absorbed everyone from Patsy Cline to Gene Vincent and Doris Day to create a voice of her own and it's her idiosyncratic vocal mannerisms that really make these songs, strong as they are, truly special.

With her band lighting up a firestorm of early rock'n'roll, rockabilly and jazzy blues, Lanie and her lads cook up a snap, crackle and pop that is really quite irresistible.

There's a bit of work holler (What Do I Do), a dash of tear jerk (Heartbeat) and a healthy sprinkle of genuine Sun studio rockabilly (Bang Bang).

The result is an absolutely joyous celebration of musical styles that hark back 50 years or so, delivered with an energy and enthusiasm that makes them sound fresh and brand spanking new.

Can't wait for the next one. Sassy and swingin'.

Australian Idle
Tim Freedman
(Sony)
(Pop)
Reviewed by Phil Bennett

The voice and sound of one of Australia's favourite groups, The Whitlams, Tim Freedman has turned his hand to a solo album and it's the happiest sounding thing he's produced in years, particularly given the sombre mood of his last group release, Little Clouds.

With an album title that reflects his long layoff after a fairly severe back injury, Freedman has bounced back with a spring in his step and a drive and optimism that's been missing in his recent work.

Even the chorus of You Weren't In Love With Me ("I was in love with you But you weren't in love with me") sounds uplifting and joyous while the album opener, Old Man, inspired by a visit to a friend with cancer, has a positive slant to the lyrics ("I want to be an old man!"). Chock full of pleasingly melodic, beautifully constructed little pop gems, it confirms what an extraordinarily talented songwriter he is.

Based mainly around the piano but with a sterling support group consisting of Heath Cullen, Amy Vee, Zoe Hauptmann and Dave Hibbard, the playing is marvellous and the tunes are snappy numbers filled with clever turns of phrase. And the harmonies throughout, particularly on There Was A Time and Misty, are multilayered sweeps of colour that are simply gorgeous .

Thoughtfully crafted and inventively put together, this is a genuinely exciting listen. A fine thing to own.

Santo Spirito Blues
Chris Rea
(Warner)
(Blues)
Reviewed by Phil Bennett

Chris Rea is often dismissed as a middle of the road singer thanks to the huge success of his Fool (If You Think It's Over), but if you go back over his immense catalogue (25 releases, one of these an 11 disc set!), it's quite clear that much of his output has retained his working class Middlesborough roots.

It was a bout of life threatening pancreatitis in 2001 that was the catalyst for him to forsake the smoothing out of his sound and to reinvestigate his blues background.

The result can best be described as happy blues or, as he puts it, "blues to get you out of the blues", and it's an uplifting joy to listen to.

The playing on Santo Spirito Blues is, of course, right on the button. The songs are reliable, tradesman like workouts that, without forging any new boundaries, spotlight his husky voice and beautifully controlled slide guitar playing.
Highlights are abundant, whether it be the melodically inventive guitar fills that colour The Chance Of Love or the slinky boogie groove of Dance With Me All Night Long.

With this album, the pastoral settings of Auberge and Shamrock Diaries are replaced by a defiantly salty and vigorous ethic as Rea kicks out some hard driving blues with the verve of a man rediscovering his muse.

Rock solid from start to finish.

Acoustic Café
Various Artists
(Putumayo)
(Singer/songwriter)
Reviewed by Phil Bennett

When it comes to crafting thoughtfully selected compilations, Putumayo nearly always gets it right - which they do in spades on this wonderful selection of contemporary singer/songwriters.

Full of quirky personality traits and some truly memorable songs, the mood is laid back with a delicate balance between melancholia and uplifting optimism.

Highlights include the rich, polished harmonies of The Sweet Remains' Dance With Me, Sarah Jarosz's country-folk inflected interpretation of Bob Dylan's Ring Them Bells, and the deceptively simple lilt of Justin Townes Earle's One More Night In Brooklyn.

Elsewhere, Harry Manx adds his own nuances to Van Morrison's Crazy Love, while Brown Bird's Danger And Dread clops along like a donkey ride to destinations mysterious.

To close proceedings, we find WA's Waifs in sparkling form with their toe tapping Love Serenade, which coolly wraps up this delightful package.

As an uninterrupted listen, this album is quite fantastic, but its added advantage is that it opens up the listener to a range of artists that can be further explored.

Delicious.

Elsie
Horrible Crowes
(SideOneDummy)
(Pop)
Reviewed by Phil Bennett

Not surprisingly, Brian Fallon's side project away from the highly lauded Gaslight Anthem sounds a bit like an album of Gaslight songs but with less of their early Springsteenish fist raising power.

Whereas the Gaslight Anthem are a road tested tight unit, the feel on this offering is much looser and relaxed, which lends a significant amount of charm to proceedings.

Joined by his guitar tech, Ian Perkins, the duo dish up an enjoyable and occasionally rousing selection of songs about urban life and human frailty.
There's less growl and more whisper in the vocals, especially on tracks such as the almost folky Sugar and the reggae inflected I Witnessed A Crime.

The lighter waving anthems still manage to surface, though - Behold The Hurricane features a football crowd singalong chorus, while Go Tell Everybody is a fiery, soaring stadium stomper in the making.

A thoroughly rewarding listen, Elsie sees Brian Fallon brewing up his own quiet storm with a healthy serve of exuberance and inventiveness.
A fine sidestep that should keep the fans pleased.

Charismatic, if not supercharged.

Children Of War
Levi McGrath
(Small House)
Reviewed by Phil Bennett
(Folk)

A blend of easy going melodies and touching lyrics, this album of poignant songs inspired by Levi McRath's work with former Ugandan child soldiers is a thought-provoking and moving listening experience.

A case in point is the highly enjoyable title track with its sweet singalong chorus sounding like it could be a love song or a celebration of life, but its lyrics leave the listener with a nagging pang of guilt as he asks, "When did we forget the children of war?"

McGrath really is a man with a mission - he has toured with two former Ugandan child soldiers and performed speaking engagements alongside the CEO of World Vision Australia.

And this album forms an integral part of what he's trying to get across.
Full of warm emotion, his gentle, acoustic based style is extremely amenable and the emotional territory he straddles will resonate with even the most detached listener.

Children Of War doesn't have the muscle of a major label behind it, but it's one that quite simply deserves to be heard.

Rewarding and quite nerve pricking, you'll go away with a lot of uncomfortable thoughts once you've played it. In the context of its message, just the thought of having listened to it in the comfort of my living room has left this reviewer feeling guilty!

Quietly intense.

A loving, reverential tribute to former Rolling Stones pianist, the late great Ian Stewart, Boogie 4 Stu is a swaggeringly great collection of piano driven boogie woogie numbers from the likes of Amos Milburn, Albert Ammons and Jimmy Yancey.

Ben Waters is no slouch when it comes to tinkling the black and whites, and when he's joined by Jools Holland and various Rolling Stones, the result is a startling parade of swinging, raggedy numbers that simply aren't made like this anymore.

The stripped down intensity of the recordings is palpable - you can hear the ivories being struck, the air blowing through the saxes, and the bonhomie of the roomful of players as if they were playing in your own lounge.The scorching opener, Boogie Woogie Stomp and the vibrant Roll 'Em Pete are lessons in music history as Waters brings the spirit of Ammons and Big Joe Turner alive with his rolling barrelhouse technique.

Equally at home with steaming sweaty numbers, lurching blues and mid pace honky tonk, Waters and company cook up an absolute storm from start to finish.

As an added bonus, Bob Dylan's Watching The River Flow features all 5 Rolling Stones, including Bill Wyman, an achievement unmatched for the past 20 years. And the result, a perfect match between songwriter and performer, is just fabulous. An album that gets better with every listen, Boogie 4 Stu is so timelessly good that it could have been made 20, 30 or 40 years ago and still sound fabulous in ten years' time.

Stu would have loved it.

A wistful, hushed album of melodic songs of loss, longing, joy and acceptance - in other words, all the building blocks of human existence - Standing On The Rooftop sees Madeleine Peyroux in an unusually playful mood as she veers further and further away from her jazz roots.

The way she dismisses all things material on The Kind You Can't Afford is done with a grin and a sly wink, something you don't usually expect from her.

But she's equally at home being tender (Lay Your Sleeping Head My Love) as she is in a darker, more atmospheric atmosphere, such as with her stunningly bleak interpretation of Robert Johnson's Love In Vain.

Her voice is sweet and whispery with a late evening tone, but her strength lies in the subtle way she can inflect to impart an emotion or to add weight to a particular word or phrase.

The album is immaculately produced with the instruments sounding real and unaffected, and her sterling support musicians (Charley Drayton, Allen Touissant and Meshell Ndegeocello, to name a few) provide understated accompaniments that create and sustain the different song moods with class and precision.

A quietly confident and thoroughly satisfying album, Standing On The Rooftop brims with unexpected delights and contains many moments of sheer beauty.

Effortlessly gorgeous.

1000% Guapo
Watussi
(Positive Feedback)
(Latin)
Reviewed by Phil Bennett

Oddball grooves, funky bass lines and a strange blending of Latin hip sway and hip hop beats are the parts that make up Watussi's new release.

They sell their strangeness expertly, deftly combining infectious dance rhythms and hummable melodies with a kitchen sink sound sensibility.

Coro Coro strides along a bed of handclaps and clattering percussion as a solitary flute twirls above like an exotic bird. And then with one subtle motion, the band kicks in with punchy brass figures and clipped bass runs and the song steps up a gear before you've even noticed.

Nina, on the other hand, is propelled by a pair of crisply strummed guitar parts, giving the sound a whole new flavour. Elsewhere, there's the hectic Pipi Loco with its manic bass, snappy drums and express train lyrics, while El Nero's Whistle Scratch is quite simply off the wall.

An intriguing mix of Colombian and African grooves, and a potpourri of instrumentation and approaches, this album won't be an immediately accessible listen to many but repeated listens unearth a host of sonic delights. Which is all part of its charm. An album that can only enhance Watussi's reputation, 1000% Guapo is fascinatingly quirky, upbeat and highly danceable.

Loads of fun.

Gathering Mercury

It’s been a gradual rebuild for Colin Hay.

After the breakup of Men At Work in 1985 he found himself going “from an audience of ten million to an audience of ten” as he puts it with his usual self deprecating humour.

For those who haven’t noticed, he has since made 11 solo albums and Gathering Mercury is his highly enjoyable new one.

Inspired in part by the death of his father, the songs are at times poignant and quite melancholy, but, with his good knowledge of pop hooks, they come across with a wink and a smile.

Highlights include Invisible, a laid back lilt, the Latin tinged Half A Million Angels and the infectious Send Somebody.

The centrepiece, though, which your ear memory keeps returning to is the beautiful Dear Father, a slow, attractive air that will connect with anyone who has lost a parent. With just voice, 12 string guitar and a warm string embellishment, it’s moving and really quite lovely indeed.

And there you have it. A simple, unhurried album of memorable tunes with meaningful lyrics, delivered with a deeply personal touch.

As comfy as your favourite shirt.

The Great American Songbook
Aretha Franklin
(Popular song)
(Sony)
Reviewed by Phil Bennett

With a voice forged in her Gospel roots, Aretha Franklin’s treatments of these classic songs reveal once again what an extraordinarily gifted singer she was in her youth.

Whereas Rod Stewart’s attempts at these numbers come across as a bit of a listless sleepwalk, Franklin injects equal doses fire, creativity and wit into these sessions.

It was in the early Sixties period from when these recordings were drawn that her voice was becoming her most potent – sweet and pure in tone and raucous and unfettered in delivery as she twirled the melodies around in a manner that radiated an enchanting mix of power and coyness.

Her sense of timing was uncanny – witness the way she shifts the balance on Ain’t Necessarily So or the way she plays with the word “say” on Say It Isn’t So. Marvellous stuff.Supported by musicians and arrangers with a liquid touch and immaculate feel, you really can’t get much better than this.

There are numerous singers around today who can warble like birds and bend notes with fluid efficiency but these recordings capture one of the world’s finest, just as she’s reaching her peak, and there is something mystical and magical about them that simply can’t be topped. Indisputably fine songs performed with assured stylishness and sheer groundbreaking brilliance, the Great American Songbook is a timeless treat for the ears.

Uplifting and inspirational.

Frangipani
Vibrolators
(Independent)
(Jump blues)
Reviewed by Phil Bennett

The third release from Perth’s swingin’ jumpin’ jivin’ cats, the Vibrolators, is an excellent set of songs that faithfully captures the essence of this wonderful band.

The compositions are original but they reveal an unashamed fondness for the wide lapelled sounds of the forties and fifties.

Slipping the disc on is like gaining entrance to a speakeasy – listen carefully and you can almost hear the inhaling of fat Cuban cigars, the blindly optimistic laughter of hopeful hucksters, and the slow crackle of hearts broken and dreams lost.

Up front, the addition of vocalists Peta Lee and Alison Penney adds a new dimension to the Vibrolating but the secret weapon is still Hans Deberitz and Almore James’ slow twirling blues compositions.

Tracks of theirs such as Third Degree Burn, Judge And Jury, Nine Lives and Maintenance Man are sassy, swaggering affairs that are brim with wit and an extremely hummable dose of coolness.

The whole gang’s on fire here with Penney thumping the keys with verve, James sublimely peeling off bursts of stylish guitar lines, while you can’t really go past the sizzling rhythm section of Neil Bushby and Yugon Chobanoff.

The Vibrolators are a fabulous and fun live act and, with Frangipani, they’ve translated this onto tape with ease.

Hot stuff.

The Promise
Bruce Springsteen
(Sony)
(Pop)
Reviewed by Phil Bennett

In 1978, Bruce Springsteen released the formidable Darkness On The Edge Of Town, an album that cemented his place in the songwriting firmament, as a follow up to the universally saluted Born To Run.

As great an album as it was, he was such a prolific songwriter that he has now put out The Promise, a double CD (!) of leftovers from the Darkness sessions that, though recorded 30 years ago, stands tall as a top quality contemporary release.

All the Springsteen hallmarks are here – an emotional resonance to the lyrics that shoot the everyday with colour and drama, an unabashed love for tin pan alley, faultless performances from his amazingly sturdy band, and a voice that’s unshaven and hard-edged but with a heart of gold.

There are big choruses, mournful ballads and joyous pop songs. In other words, all that you’d expect.

The two most interesting artifacts are the ones that became hits for other artists, namely Because The Night (Patti Smith) and Fire (Pointer Sisters), which give the strange feeling that these are cover versions due to their familiarity when, in fact, they’re the originals.

A lot of work and love has been put into this project – sonically it sparkles and there isn’t even a hint of rough mix throwaway material that normally clutters albums under the banner of “bonus material”.

The result is a brand new Springsteen album written and recorded by a 60 year old in his mid 20s.

Dr Who would have been impressed.

The Great Impression
Sparkadia
(Ivy League)
(Pop)
Reviewed by Phil Bennett

And then there was one.

Sparkadia are a Sydney 4 piece who write and record pop songs of the highest order. Or at least they were. Now they have been reduced to founding member, Alex Burnett, and, as writer, singer, and guitarist, the legacy continues. As a result, the sound on their second offering has taken a definite left turn.

Straddling a greater variety of instrumentation and styles, the music is much less that of a four piece unit, as Burnett plays everything from keyboards to scrap metal in order to achieve his vision.

He has always worked as a co writer with former drummer, Dave Hall, and his new collaborator, Mark Tieku, supplies ample ideas, inspiration and smart production values to come up with the goods.

The obvious difference with the new album is the use of thick, rich keyboards to provide the bedrock on many of the numbers, as well as much greater use of vocal harmonies, particularly on tracks such as the title track and Mary.

The duo’s songwriting craft is top notch and that’s what really carries this album – plenty of nice, catchy hooks and no lack of quotable lyrics.

The only complaint in the songwriting department is the unnecessary similarity with the chord sequence to the Who’s Baba O’Riley in the chorus of China .

That minor gripe aside, The Great Impression leaves just that – it’s an album of fine pop tunes, scattered through with some very interesting sonic textures to keep the listener captivated.

Sparkling.

The Deep Field
Joan As Police Woman
(Liberator)
(Pop)
Reviewed by Phil Bennett

This is Joan Wasser’s third album and, even though professed to be her most upbeat and positive yet, it still seems to dwell within a dark wood rather than the deep field of its title.

The music is certainly quite bright at times, suffused with soul and funk influences, but it’s that theatrically vaulting voice of hers, with its innate sense of hidden sadness and repressed loss that darkens the shade.
But what a powerful and amazing thing that voice is.

On Action Man she’s all breathy and conspiratorial, Kiss The Specifics sees her as soul diva extraordinaire, while on Run For Love she flits between highs and lows with intoxicating ease.

These aren’t songs to strum along to – the sonic construct is as much of their identity as the melodies.
And the constructions are highly imaginative, with odd blends of instruments (Wurlitzers, baritone saxes , moog synthesisers) taking the listener to exciting, ear opening places.

The tricky arrangements, along with the delivery of the material, powered by a diverse range of traditional and non-traditional instruments, make for an eclectic and intriguing journey.

Riveting.

Endlessly
Duffy
(Pop)
(Universal)
Reviewed by Phil Bennett

Welsh singer/songwriter, Duffy, had the difficult task of following up an almost universally lauded debut,
so she enlisted the help of Albert Hammond, a man responsible for writing hit songs for artists as disparate as Leapy Lee, the Hollies and Tina Turner.

The result is an album of refreshingly catchy upbeat numbers, balanced half and half with forays into sensitive balladry. Duffy’s distinctive smoky voice – think Dusty Springfield’s vibrato power and Amy Winehouse’s torch pipes – is what these songs are all about.

There’s the bouncy, funky Well, Well, Well and My Boy and the Phil Spectorish, tender Too Hurt To Dance and Don’t Forsake Me – all shiny, radio friendly nuggets. The tunes are great, with uplifting choruses, the production is crisp and slick, and Duffy possesses a natural ability to cradle the words with elegance and commitment.

She is one of the few contemporary singers who are able to set the charts alight without compromising the fact that she has a voice that can imbue a song with vulnerability, melancholy and sassiness all at the same time.

Tear jerking ballads and funky soul grooves done with dash and style.

Not classic, but classy.

Always Want

There’s something abstract and strangely detached about this debut album from Perth born Grace Woodroofe, even though she works a personal, confessional vein throughout.

Almost as if she’s trying to distance herself from the emotions unearthed in these songs.

It’s not easy listening by any means, but it’s a richly rewarding listen, if being made to feel slightly uncomfortable can be described that way.

Her expressive voice, its variations in delivery and tone saying as much as the lyrics themselves, is at the forefront, allowing the words to create their impact, while the music serves to strengthen and adorn.

H is a beautiful, moving tribute to her manager and mentor, Heath Ledger – “I feel you with me all the time Your guiding hands lead mine But I miss the stories that you’d share And the knitted garments that you always used to wear” – the accompaniment sparse and melancholic.

Oh My God travels a similar path, all timidly plucked piano chords, ominous single string guitar lines and her voice picking out the mood as easily as she does the words.

Darkly tinged rhymes, emotion scarred vocals and musical sounds and beats that transform into threatening, disquieting shapes.

Excellent.

A World Of Peace

Christine Morrison is a Perth musician/singer whose work is intended to soothe and heal.

Playing piano and a range of percussive instruments such as the Tibetan Singing Bowl and rain stick, the sound she creates on this marvellous album is a softly relaxing, effortlessly flowing series of ethereal pieces.

Her piano playing is elegantly rendered, occasionally reminiscent of Keith Jarrett’s quieter moments, and there is a quiet poignancy in her voice that evokes a feeling of standing silently, arms outstretched, in a vast treeless plain with nothing but the still vastness to surrender to.

The percussion is extremely delicate and unobtrusive, acting as a mood rather than a rhythm enhancer.

It’s really all quite beautiful, lovely and dreamy.

As music to close your eyes to, it’s absolutely perfect – gentle, subtle and exquisitely executed.

Wonderful stuff indeed.

I Feel Like Playing

With a vocal delivery that makes Bob Dylan sound like a Thespian vocal coach, Ron Wood (he of Faces, Jeff Beck Group and Rolling Stones fame) returns with his best album in years.

And, being buddies with practically everyone in the music business, affable old Ron has called up a few choice mates to help out – rock heavyweights from Flea and Eddie Vedder to Billy Gibbons and Bobby Womack all chip in and lend a hand.

The marvellous thing being that they all understand what has always been at the core of Wood’s music – serve the song, leave the ego at the door and, above all, have a good time doing it.

The result is a rock’n’roll album of the type you used to scour the vinyl racks for.

It’s raw, honest and filled with top notch songs that ride roughshod over their smoky, barroom feel.

Lucky Man is a driving single that won’t be, with a thrilling sense of dynamics and an anthemic chorus, while Catch You is a timeless slice of soul.

Elsewhere, there’s the loping reggae lilt of Sweetness My Weakness, the soulful ballad I Gotta See, and the lurching Thing About You to keep things motoring along.

On a par with Keith Richards’ Talk Is Cheap, I Feel Like Playing is a swaggering, visceral slab of rock’n’roll, reggae, balladry and bluesy funk that comes from a group of musicians at the top of their game simply having furious fun.

An album you’ll feel like playing over and over.

Nice one, Ron.

Once Around

This album won’t sell a million copies nor be remembered as an all time classic, but it is pure fresh air pop of the highest calibre.

A collaboration between Wilco members, John Stirrat and Pat Sansone, Autumn Defense have been around quietly for a while now, with Once Around being their fourth release.

Mining the finely crafted pop vein carved out by the Beatles, Byrds, Squeeze and Crowded House, their songs are wistful, beautifully arranged tunes that simply ooze style and class.

A lettuce crisp production enhances the irresistible melodies and numbers like the opening Back Of My Mind and Every Day sound warm, inviting and delightfully familiar.

Seamless, low-key musical arrangements – a swoop of strings here, a clutch of harmonies there – allow the subtle shades of the songs to emerge.

And what great songs they are.

From the poignant Huntington Fair to the gorgeous title track, the bulk of these are absolute diamonds.

There is, of course, the occasional blip, like the bland The Swallows Of London Town, but these lapses are few and far between.

A band of considerable songwriting talent, Autumn defense have come up with an absolute cracker.

Close Up Vol 2 - People And Places
Suzanne Vega
(CookingVinyl)
(Pop)
Reviewed by Phil Bennett

A pleasing aspect of today's veteran artists is their willingness to present their hits and misses in new formats, as opposed to simply allowing badly compiled Best Of recordings to be unleashed on the market.

So, if you're a Suzanne Vega fan, you get to enjoy new performances of songs you've grown to love, and if you just want a sampler of her work, it's presented for you here in a flowing style.

Which is a very good thing when you're talking about songs that have been recorded over 25 years, with production values, lineups and instrumentation all changing to suit the times.

Volume One was love songs and now she delivers stripped back versions of songs about people like Luka and Zephyr and places like Liverpool, New York, and Tom's Diner.

With the reduction in musical accompaniment - the songs mainly come across as pure solo recordings but there is much subtle support sound to embellish her lyrics come more into focus.

And, along with her quietly conversational vocal style and her sweet and simple melodies, her ability to get into characters' skins is one of her great strengths.

As a singer/songwriter, she has the knack of capturing people, places, emotions, and situations with amazing clarity.

Hearing these songs again in such a thematic context serves as an impressive reminder of her wonderful talent.

Like your favourite old shirt, with the last button finally sewn on.

Just Across The River
Jimmy Webb
(E1)
(Pop)
Reviewed by Phil Bennett

One thing that never goes out of fashion is a good song, and when it comes to melodic masterpieces, Jimmy Webb has created countless.

They're the kind of songs that breeze past you but always have some lyrical or sonic twist that turns your head, making you want to revisit them and delve deeper.

Take the superb Wichita Lineman - deep, beautiful imagery coupled with elongated notes held over sympathetic passing chords to give the aural perception of the repetitive distance of the endless line of highway poles. What a song!

On this album he revisits his songbook and is joined by a plethora of peers and fans, including the likes of Willie Nelson, Lucinda Williams, Mark Knopfler, and Linda Ronstadt.

Admittedly, the definitive versions of a number of these songs have already been recorded, particularly by Glen Campbell, but there's enough camaraderie and respect paid by his fellow musicians to give these tracks a fresh, but respectful, outlook.

With the production favouring a choice of staple country instruments such as pedal steels and mandolins, the sound is immediately evocative of wide open spaces and miles of room for thought and reflection.

A suitable glimpse of the talents of one of modern music's finest songwriters, Just Across The River is a celebration of both his singing and songwriting talents, which is well worth grabbing hold of simply to view a snapshot of his incredible body of work.

A fine retrospective of a great American songsmith.

Losing Sleep
Edwyn Collins
(Heavenly)
(Pop)
Reviewed by Phil Bennett

After suffering two strokes and having to relearn how to speak and move with some measure of control, this new album from former Orange Juice frontman, Edwyn Collins, must have been a real labour of love.

Given his personal circumstances, the album is surprisingly uplifting and positive, despite the many references to his physical condition and what must have been going through his mind these past few years.

The opening title track kicks things off in joyous Motown mood and it's clear from the outset that this is no dark offering.

Though it's lyrics are questioning, as are those of the next track, What Is My Role?, the music is the straightforward, no frills pop that he has managed to peel off for decades.

There are guests aplenty, including Roddy Frame, whose exquisite acoustic guitar is featured on the beautiful All My Days, Johnny Marr and a couple of members of Franz Ferdinand. Gladly, they all apply the simple, supportive mindset of their own work, so there is no question of this becoming an all star jam.

The playing throughout is pleasingly understated but energetic, and Collins' trademark burr seems relatively unaffected by his illness.

An album of optimism and determination, it is no better exemplified than by the line "I will always be lucky in my life And I will find a way to get there" (Searching For The Truth).

A remarkable and delicate piece of work that really is an essential purchase for Collins fans and has the instant appeal to please those who've no idea who he is.

When was the last time you heard Mahler or Verdi blasting from a shop window?

On this latest outing, French musician, Eric Levi, uses his Era recording vehicle to do his bit to address the issue by dabbling with the Classics.

Spicing each piece with his trademark Gregorian chanting and sonorous drum beats, he quite cleverly manages to make some pretty heavy stuff palatable to the masses.

The overall effect is somewhat like the soundtrack to an imaginary Tolkienesque sorcery and magic movie epic - stirring, dramatic, and at times quite moving.

As part of the fabric of social history, most of this music is instantly recognisable to even the most fierce top fortyophile - but probably not quite like this.

If a hard core pop fan decides to investigate Bach after hearing Era's interpretation of Concerto No 3, then this album has achieved something that dry as dust music lessons and that ABC2 documentary that Dad watched more than likely failed to.

For this reason alone, this album gets a mighty thumbs up, even if the sound you hear as the album finishes is that of Vivaldi groaning in his grave.

Classics will no doubt be simply annoying and pointless to many, but its imaginative and entertaining reworkings are thoroughly enjoyable to these ears.

A good idea accomplished with aplomb.

Every now and again an artist comes along and creates something that is so fresh and exciting that you simply have to listen again. And again.

Megan Washington sounds like she has produced music for decades and has finally come to the point where she has honed her craft to perfection.

Yet, this is her debut album. Which means either that she’s placed all her eggs in one basket or her future looks very rosy indeed.

Recorded in Melbourne, the sound is Phil Spectorish – multi-layered and splashed with a rainbow of musical colours.

Scan the credits and you see all the instruments are played by John Castle and Washington. Production credit is the same. Which demonstrates the focus of this remarkably talented pair.

Her songs are snapshots of human relationships, lyrically veering toward the unexpected, while the melodies are catchy without being formulaic.

Tracks like the strident Cement and Sunday Best, with its busy piano lines, are absolute pop gems that simply drip with class and sheer enthusiasm.

Inventive arrangements, the showcased versatility of her full-bodied voice, and songs that grow friendlier with repeated listens, all add up to an album that may be instantly accessible for today’s airwaves, but has the depth to last and enough twists to turn your head.

Irresistible.

In Boston
Chris Botti
(Jazz/Pop)
(Universal)
Reviewed by Phil Bennett

A live recording with the Boston Pops Orchestra and a host of special gusts, this album is an endearing collection of standards, which are given Botti’s sweet and warm treatment.

Coming in a cd/dvd package, it’s the dvd that clearly displays his imaginative but deferential playing as he charmingly pays homage both to the songwriters and the performers standing beside him.

His trumpet playing is sheer class, with a gorgeous tone and a flair for the dramatic as he blends delicate flurries and fiery runs with melancholic introspection and atmospheric reverie.

His guests are top of the range and extraordinarily talented and successful in their own rights – Yo Yo Ma, Josh Groban and so on – and it is one of his gentlemanly attributes that he allows them each to grab the spotlight as he subtly steps aside.

It’s all smiles and knowing nods when Sting hits the stage, but, at four songs, his presence does veer towards that of the man who stayed for dinner but wouldn’t leave.

Aerosmith’s Steve Tyler performs a tear-inducing Smile for his father in the front row, while the relatively unknown Sy Smith’s version of The Look Of Love rides a funky carriage that takes Bacharach’s torch staple into territories unexplored.

Throughout it all, his backing band cooks and swings with a vengeance while the Orchestra builds and swells to soaring crescendos with verve and precision.

An eclectic showcase of smooth, jazz flavoured excellence, In Boston is adventurous in its arc whilst maintaining a clear path through the middle of the road.

Mainstream at its most inspiring.

With an inherent sense of catchy melody and the ability to tell a story in under 4 minutes, Steven Jaymes is a singer/songwriter of class and no little talent.

This is good, solid, timeless stuff that, given the right opportunities, would fill the airwaves.

Album opener, Everything Will Be Alright, is the pure relaxation of a warm, spring field and sets the scene for an enjoyable series of highly listenable tracks.

A Little Love has a similarly glowing feel, but with more of a sense of drama, and has one of those chord patterns that can just go on forever as the musicians weave their way in and out.

The title track highlights the craftsmanship of his superb backing band, as a thumping beat and gravelly guitars break into a fabulous funk piano breakdown.

Which means that it’s not just the quality of the songs that impresses, but it’s the way they’re put together that adds extra dimensions as they unfold.

This is Jaymes’ fifth album, so if it appeals to your ears there’s plenty of back catalogue to investigate.

A fine collection of a songwriter’s craft, Things Get Better is a very pleasing listen indeed.

Well worth checking out.

Tin Can Trust
Los Lobos
(Shock)
(Rock/Latin)
Reviewed by Phil Bennett

The name Los Lobos (The Wolves) conjures images of Mexican cantinas, dusty roads and the full moon rising.

Over 14 albums and more than three decades, this American Chicano rock band has garnered praise from both within and without the industry as they consistently produce albums that balance both maturity and respect for the musical forms they tackle and the energy and commitment of a group who knows no other way.

Fiery electric guitar lines grace songs such as All My Bridges and the title track, giving these numbers a fearsome edge. Combined with the suitably restrained down home grooves laid down by the rhythm section, the result is powerful without being overblown.

Jupiter Or The Moon is a fine example, a searing showstopper that rides a bleak unswerving drum beat based on rim shots and deep toms that possesses a mysterious mood with an underlying sense of disquiet.
Running the full spectrum of authentic Mexican folk to beer barn blues, the album is gritty and close to the bone, with the added luxury of the years of experience this crack band has to offer.

Another fabulous album from an outfit that rarely makes a wrong turn.

No matter what diversions they make, Los Lobos always seem to remain true to their heritage and their mission to create music that’s real and passionate.

Turn it on and soak up the atmosphere.