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Savant journalist PHIL STRONGMAN guides us through the melodies, rhythms & noises of Autumn...
RAY DAVIES Collected (Universal CD) Ray D has been a great songwriter for decades now and - though the well-respected rebel turned Thatcherite is mainly known for his Kinks' material - his solo stuff has always been worth a listen too. 'Collected' has put together 17 of his very own cuts, right up til 2007's 'Working Man's Café', and it's a good reminder of how much his lyrics, and singing style, once influenced the likes of Bowie and Bolan. The aforementioned 'Working Man's Cafe' and the ambiguous 'You're Asking Me' are maybe the best things here and, even though some of these numbers come over as light sketches, Davies' fans won't be disappointed – you really get him. 7/10
BIG BOSS MAN Full English Beat Breakfast (Blow Up CD) I once had a discussion with DJ Cello, the MC at Shoreditch's Saturday Ska night Coast To Coast (On The Rocks E2), which, I think, led us to conclude that 'Boogaloo' was more a sound that could be achieved live, like a certain high note, than a hard and fast genre. Whether that's actually true or not, BBM's latest album undeniably has a good dose of the stuff plus a terrific amount of Sixties beats, post-Yardbird work-outs, Hammond organs and solid anthems. A soundtrack for the greatest mod psychedelic movie never made...and a great party album. 8/10
CLARENCE BUCARO New Orleans (Hyena Records CD) Clarence went to the Big Easy in 2004, fell in love and started an album about his fab new affair in the city (thus giving this set its name). Things went wrong, of course, as they usually do and the recordings were abandoned. This year he went back and finished the project, something that was definitely worth the effort for this is a wonderful piece of blue-eyed soul, singer-songwriter style. There's nods to Al Green, Jackson Browne and Van Morrison in here – as well as touches of cajun and reggae – all of which make this a truly great set. The yearning 'Unfulfilled Love' is worth the price of admission alone. 8/10
And while we're still on the music front, there's an interesting new book by ROLAND LINK, 'Kicking Up A Racket: The Story of Stiff Little Fingers 1977-1983' (Appletree Press). An in-depth look at the Ulster punk explosion and it's foremost exponents Stiff Little Fingers, 'Kicking Up A Racket' also manages to give us a fair taste of the days when the British Army would interrupt gigs and you could sell 25,000 singles and still not make the Top 75 (such sales would make you No. 1 now...). 7/10 |
