A to Z Album and Gig Reviews
Kathy Kallick - Reason And Rhyme (Copper Creek)
Kathy's been around the bluegrass scene for a fair few years now, producing a series of nicely-turned albums that infuse more traditional bluegrass with an original sensibility. She may not quite have the individuality (at any rate vocally) of, say, Alison Krauss, but there's a definite kinship between the two and Kathy's songwriting is arguably even more compelling. Reason And Rhyme goes a long way towards proving Kathy's songwriting talent, as well as marking a slight shift in her performing style. Of its 15 tracks, 12 are her own compositions (two co-written), the rest comprising a fine cover of Kate Wolf's Trumpet Vine and two arrangements of traditional folk songs (Lone Pilgrim and Handsome Cabin Boy - interestingly, Lone Pilgrim turns out to be one of the best tracks on the CD, a really powerful rendition on which Kathy's accompanied only by Laurie Lewis's fiddle drones). Kathy's own songs are consistent almost to a fault, lyrical and honest, with an attractive contemporary folk-bluegrass feel and a quality of freshness that's hard to resist. It helps that Kathy's accompanied by a whole crew of outstanding musicians – mere mention of Cindy Brown, Stuart Duncan, Scott Nygaard, Todd Phillips, Peter Rowan, Nina Gerber, Tom Rozum and Sally Van Meter (just half of those appearing!) is indication enough of the assured quality you can expect here, and there's no disappointment at any point on the CD's hour-long compass. And the recording's excellent too (production by Tom Size and Peter Thompson). There may be a comforting familiarity about Kathy's songs, but that familiarity doesn't breed contempt, in fact quite the reverse. The "relationship" songs like Hard To Let Go, I Once Loved and The Words You Don't Say in particular deserve to be covered widely by other artistes. Heartfelt, warm and personal, revealing of inner secrets yet not in any way excluding the listener, her songs quietly demand your respect and undivided attention. A beautiful collection, mirrored by the great presentation (full lyrics in booklet too).
www.kathykallick.com
www.coppercreekrecords.com
David Kidman
Described as "folk-rock for the indie-rock set", the Albany, NY-based Kamikaze Hearts purvey a pretty unusual combination of Americana and indie alt-country with quirky touches, that taken all together creates a kind of "upstate porch-rock", Neil-Young-meets-Son-Volt-meets-Crooked-Jades vibe. KH are a five-piece consisting of Bob Buckley (guitar, dobro), Nathan Giordano (bass), Matthew Loiancono (mandolin, banjo), Troy Pohl (guitar) and Gavin Richards (drums), yet the overall sound they make, though richly crafted, is surprisingly light-textured and considerably interesting, with a propensity to build much from thin layerings. Their deftly constructed story-songs (mostly compositions by Troy or Gavin it appears) are steeped in a nostalgia for the commonplace, and have a primitive, bittersweet quality that's matched by their approach to instrumentation, and (strangely) even harder to describe or reference. Conventional genre access points just don't seem relevant in the KHs' musical universe somehow, although they use the trappings of country and acoustica as their basic expressive medium. Their songs possess all the economy of the best Americana, yet I always get the strong feeling that they need those occasional unexpected twists and turns and gear changes that a little extra track-length would give them; on several of the cuts, perversely, a new musical development or event happens right in the final half-minute. Songs like Deer Hunter are plaintive and brooding, while other cuts (notably the extended Guyana Central High School Class Of '78) stretch the envelope even further with their image-rich reminiscences. I liked this album a hell of a lot – and the relative brevity of this review shouldn't be taken as writing it off, more that I don't know quite what to say other than you really do need to experience the weathered beauty of the music of the Kamikaze Hearts. And I've just found out that Oneida Road is their fifth album (albeit the first to be given a UK release), so there's a lot of catching-up for me to do!
David Kidman March 2007
This modestly eponymous disc is a much more satisfying proposition than its predecessor Lost John Dean, which although likeable enough hasn't stuck with me since I reviewed it last autumn. Here, the abundantly tasty nature of the production - uncluttered and wonderfully crisply defined - helps, of course, but I feel the quality of the songwriting has moved up a notch since too, with several out of the batch of eleven on offer here proving quite outstanding. Composition credits are more or less equally apportioned, with Kevin getting three, Kieran two (also three written jointly with John Hadley) and the pair a further two together, while Fats brings in a pithy little instrumental interlude and the final number is a gentle, pensive trad-arr (What Are They Doin' In Heaven Today?, from the repertoire of Washington Phillips it turns out). Highlights for me were Kevin's intense tribute Last Lost Highway, the gritty gospel vibe of No-One Told Me, the sparse balladry of Kieran's Red Light Blinking, the moody soulfulness of Callin' You, and the busy-riffed spoken narrative of Dark Boogie #7.
Throughout, backing is well-judged, subtle and yet presence-full, unorthodox you might say in that the three musicians are augmented on the majority of cuts only by Kevin's younger brother Lucas on (minimal) drumkit; the whole set is fluid and organic and deliciously rootsy in character, with straightforward acoustic and sometimes electric guitar, fiddle and banjo all managing to sound just beautiful, maybe even better than you've a right to expect, with extra imaginative colours such as electric sitar and accordion (on Kevin's folksy Highland Mary) brought into the mix from time to time. The album fairly grooves along with style and flair, and I sense an almost telepathic band feel uniting the participants. In that context, then, the only thing I can't quite get my head round is the artists' decision to self-title the album, Kevin's stated rationale being that they want people to "finally understand that we're a band, not just three solo artists playing for the hell of it". But I loved this album, and I bet so will you.
www.compassrecords.com
www.myspace.com/kanewelchandkaplin
David Kidman September 2007
Back in 2004 Kane and Welch joined forces with multi-instrumentalist Kaplan to record You Can't Save Everybody. They clearly enjoyed the experience because here they all are again, once more easing through an acoustic collection of songs hewn from traditional roots, blues and gospel influences, the title track a banjo dappled reading of the evergreen story of the African-American bank robber from Kentucky that sounds like it could have been recorded on someone's front porch. It's one of only three tracks not penned by either Kane or Welch, the others being a cover of Willie Dixon's Mellow Down Easy, Welch again handling banjo duties, and the swampy blues groove of Postcard from Mexico, a John Hadley/David Olney number about a guy busting out of jail to see the girl he took the rap for when she knocked over a liquor store and then left him stewing in jail, Kaplan laying down a nagging guitar riff while Kane and Welch trade lines.
Kane's Monkey Jump opens up the album in characteristic stripped down form, Kaplan supplying fiddle and accordion to flesh out the guitar and drum on a groove that's part moonshine fumes and part I Heard It Through The Grapevine. That same soulfulness is there on the roots gospel Satan's Paradise a song that initially seems to be a warning about the road that leads to the lonesome's devil's brew of heroin, only to catch you unawares with the last verse's methedrine high. Elsewhere, Welch fuses the spiritual and the flesh in the themes of redemption, yearning and world weariness that inform the desert night winds blowing through Heaven Now, the Dylanesque bluesy To The Harvest Look Ahead and the hymnal harmonies and accordion of I Can't Wait, a song that calls to mind both Townes Van Zandt and John Prine's finest moments. The album centrepiece, though, is arguably Mr Bones, another Olney/Hadley number with input from Welch and Claudia Scott that, with Kaplan on oud, harks to the trad English folk that found relocation and rebirth in the Kentucky backwoods. A heritage this fine album so solidly celebrates.
www.kierankane.com
www.kevinwelch.com
Mike Davies January 2007
Kieran Kane & Kevin Welch with Fats Kaplin - You Can't Save Everybody (Dead Reckoning Records)
Both have come through their 'major label' experience and, with Mike Henderson, Tammy Rogers and Harry Stinson, decided to take control of their own destiny by forming Dead Reckoning Records. With Fats Kaplin on board, this album makes that decision a very good one.
Freed from the musical advice of accountants, the three have embarked on an intimate, personal journey through some wonderfully written and played country music.
Apart from Ron Davies' Dark Eyed Gal, Welch and Kane wrote, or had a hand in writing (so to speak), the rest of the album. It is little wonder that Waylon Jennings, Roger Miller, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Ricky Skaggs and Trisha Yearwood amongst others, have all recorded Kevin Welch songs, he is a writer of grown up songs that treat the listener the same way. In Kieran Kane he has found a kindred spirit and an equal.
This is an album that is written in the dark, rich colours of autumn. The title track, which is a gentle anthem for lost souls, retains the comforting warmth that is the album's trademark. That warmth is generated by the voices of both musicians, whether separately or together they embody a real belief and sense of purpose in what they are doing.
It's obvious that there is respect and affection between the three musicians, they trust each other implicitly. The unhurried, unflustered feel to the way Dark Eyed Gal rolls quite naturally off the collective tongue, comes from people who are comfortable with and trust each other. You Can't Save Everybody is an 'after hours' album, everything's been cleared away for the evening and it's time to pick through some favourite songs. Hillbilly Blue, for one, could have been recorded round the kitchen table with just a mike and a bottle for company.
But, just in case you were getting too comfortable submerged in this rustic idyll, the revivalist, gospelly Jersey Devil and, in particular, Everybody's Working For the Man Again, reveal teeth that bite just enough to bring you up short.
Everybody's Working For the Man Again is a cleverly and thoughtfully written indictment of today, which just goes to show you don't need a hammer to drive a message home.
The familiarity of the melodies and the intelligence of the lyrics make this an album to be savoured, take your time and enjoy it all. There's no rush, they own the label.
Michael Mee
Lucy's sixth Red House album is a mixed bag of half originals and half covers, and it turns out to be a record of mixed fortunes too. Taking the five original songs first, these find Lucy in reflective mood, thinking of her family, their life and times and how she herself will shape her daughter's destiny. The opener Manhattan Moon celebrates her own joy in motherhood, whereas Today's The Day - the album's highlight and a beautiful emotional centrepiece - deals with the wrenching act of saying goodbye to her dying father. The title track simply examines the powerful ancestral pull of place and time and memory, while The Gift relates the story of how her family came to be in America. Lucy's backing crew (Larry Campbell, Duke Levine, Ben Wittman, Stephan Crump and Jon Herington) here keep things simple in the tried-and-tested country-folk mould, with the help of backing vocals from the likes of Eliza Gilkyson and Richard Shindell, and Buddy Miller duets with Lucy on a spirited cover of Julie Miller's Somewhere Trouble Don't Go. Which brings me to the covers: a decidedly puzzling set of choices that include Bryan Ferry's More Than This (nice touch), Swimming Song (OK), Ring Of Fire (lacklustre) and Someday Soon (pointless). All of which emphasise the ragbag, pulled-together nature of this album, which despite some really pleasing moments doesn't really hang together. Seen live, Lucy can be absolutely captivating (she's on tour at the moment, then again in December - so go catch her!), but, I must be honest, here there seems to be a distinct air of making-up-the-numbers about this new record's not overly generous 38 minutes. Pity...
David Kidman June 2007
Lucy Kaplansky - The Red Thread (Red House)
For her fifth album, again produced by drummer Ben Wittman, Kaplansky's pared back on the arrangements to afford a slightly more intimate air inevitably informed from seeing the events of 9/11 unfold virtually from ground zero, directing her focus on the things that matter most, friends and family. It's a sensibility deftly embodied in the album's title, a song not just about the mingled worries and joys of adopting their infant Chinese daughter, Molly, but also referencing the ancient Chinese belief that when a child's born an invisible red thread connects them with all those who will play an important part on their life.
It is these threads that bind the album together through such songs as I Had Something, This Is Home (another direct reference to the adoption) and Land of the Living, the latter a moving eye-witness record of the events that both tore apart New York and brought it together, while the simple voice/piano Brooklyn Train uses the image of a traveller watching the bustle of their fellow commuters to anchor a reflective love song to the city and its people. Only one song really steps beyond her front door, the hook driven Line In The Sand a questioning look at the Israel/Palestine conflict dressed up in the sort of roots rock you might find had Jackson Browne and Suzanne Vega written a song together.
As usual there's several covers in the mix; Bill Morrissey's airy Love Song/New York a gently rolling reflection on a brief romance that may also have 9/11 resonances, Buddy Miller's Home In My Head the album's one concession to strutting swaggering blues while James McMurty's Off And Running, with Eliza Gilkyson joining on background vocals, is the collection's hood down highway cruising soft rocker. Which just leaves Dave Carter's Cowboy Singer, Kaplansky's low register tones bringing a poignant ache to its dusty Kristofferson-like honky tonk slow waltz of regret and redemption. It's a wonderful weave.
Mike Davies
As synchronicity would have it, no sooner has Cry Cry Cry collaborator Dar Williams released her new album than along comes sometime clinical psychologist Kaplansky's own follow up to 1999's Ten Year Night. Working with a collection of musicians and backing vocalists that include Buddy Miller, Larry Campbell and, the third of the CCC triumvirate, Richard Shindell, the album marries seven originals and four covers, all treated to her brand of rootsy folk and that bruised emotionally vulnerable voice that lies somewhere between Nanci Griffith, Suzanne Vega (Written On The Back Of His Hand very much in the vein) and Shawn Colvin, all of whose albums she provided harmonies for. With songs that explore love and longing, guilt and sorrow, promises and lies, hope and redemption, she observes that "one true word's gonna beat a pack of lies. I know what it's like to be nowhere," she sings on Nowhere, and whether she does or not she makes you believe she's seen desolation up close. It's the same sense of personal investment in the emotions that makes Kaplansky feel like she's confiding to a friend rather than just singing a lyric. So that when she covers Paul Brady's superb Crazy Dreams you're caught up with sharing the sense of wild joy just as you're reduced to tears for her version of Julie Miller's nakedly vulnerable Broken Things.
Completing the covers work are a buoyant take on You're Still Standing There by her personal favourite Steve Earle and an achingly moving treatment of the Louvins' The Angels Rejoiced Last Night featuring what sounds like an Appalachian dulcimer somewhere in the back of the mix. They're in good company with Kaplansky's own contributions. The title track's tale of a slowly falling apart in the spotlight calls to mind the melody line of Woodstock, Guilty As Sin is about grasping for a night of comfort while Song For Molly is a touching snapshot of what I assume to be alzheimer's sung from the perspective of a 13 year old daughter. Listen too hard and you'll be torn apart. It's the mark of a great writer and a great singer.
Mike Davies
Karma Country - This Tin Stardom (True North)
This CD is best described as a crossover from country guitar licks with a feel of Cajun slide over to a more 'mellow' dreamy eastern promise. Could be said to be experimental, although the songs are focused and the mixture of styles do seem to blend in. Overall easy listening and soothing most of the time.
Track One, Good Things Come To Me Now, has twangs of Fender guitar mixed with slide blues, bottle neck style. The middle section takes a different slant into eastern meditation yoga then back to country. An unusual slant, yet easy listen to. Track Six, Secret Country, is a melodic, maybe even commercial sounding song. I really liked this angle and would like to hear more from the band in this way. A definite thumbs up.
Other songs on the album reflect the easy listening aspect, chill, moody lights and calm your Karma to these soothing sounds. Track Four, The Man Who Ran Away From The Circus, has disco bass and drums with country guitar feel. Saturday night fever 'strut' but wearing a big hat country style. Its a good feel, found my foot tapping.
It's only left to say, quality vocals, well produced but maybe a moving target in terms of style. Overall summery is professional, but it's a mixed bag. Country people may get confused, meditation it's not quite, but for open minded listeners it's worth a try.
Paul Wood
From the opening bars of the sultry jazz club style Why Do I Wait to the lounge version of Good News Rumors Lisa Karp's unique style will have you captivated. She has enlisted the help of none other than the legendary Dr. John for this sophisticated album. Karp is hot and laid back all in one package. Everything's Broken, a duet with Dr. John, is probably the highlight of the album and it is the good Doctor that steals the show – I can't get enough of this. Call Home is another in the jazz club style with prominent double bass and Dose Of You exemplifies her laid back style with the double vocal giving an excellent echo effect.
Good News Rumors has echoes of old time barroom blues, just voice and piano. There's some electric guitar introduced on Curve Of The Truth and it's obvious that Karp goes in for the minimalist approach. This has very sparse backing for her unique voice. It's back to the acoustic sound for Try which has the now obligatory sultry vocals but has little substance. The strange time signatures of My Life Hotel only adds to the quirkiness of this album and the whole feel is of 60s blues/jazz.
South Pacific certainly proves Lisa's originality but she may take a few listens to get into and this jazz/blues rarely gets out of first gear. She finishes on a lounge version of Good News Rumors and changes her vocal but little else. What does stand out here is the quality of piano playing from Dr. John.
The last word belongs to Dr. John who says "What I like about her is that she doesn't think the way most singer/songwriters think. She often approaches stuff from left field". That is quite possibly the understatement of the year.
David Blue, January 2006
It's often said that no blues harmonica player can escape the influence of Little Walter, and Mitch Kashmar is no exception. Having said that, Mitch's sophisticated yet gritty playing is extremely persuasive on its own terms. Wake Up And Worry is his second record, and comes hard on the heels of the runaway success of his Blues Music Award-nominated 2005 debut Nickels And Dimes and his touring work with the Mannish Boys during 2006. It presents a further tasty selection comprising both intelligent covers (including two of Little Walter's early 60s singles and one by Willie Dixon) and some Kashmar originals that extend the blues envelope further out into funky instrumental (Funky Dee) and calypso (Green Bananas); but best of all is a vibrant country-blues duet with National Steel player Alastair Greene (Black Dog Blues). Happily, though, Mitch doesn't altogether neglect the swinging, harp-led, down'n'dirty blues style we know and love (the title track's a good example). Mitch gets some great support from a slew of fine guitarists including Junior Watson, John Marx and Rusty Zinn, also some added harmonica from Randy Chortkoff (on the loping Jimmy-Reed gait of You Dogged Me), and piano and baritone sax from Jim Calire (The Waddle and Up The Line); not to mention conjuring up a rowdy juke-joint party atmosphere on Half A Pint Of Whiskey. Good solid harmonica-based blues with a decent sense of fun alongside the serious intent.
www.mitchkashmar.com
www.deltagrooveproductions.com
David Kidman June 2007
This excellent new CD from San Francisco shanty-singers Richard and Peter continues their exploration of maritime songs, shanties and/or chanteys from the Anglo and Black traditions which began with 2005's Boldly From The Westward. It's another breath of fresh sea air, not only in respect of the actual performances (spirited, committed and full of just the right kind of momentum) but also in respect of the actual pieces performed. The choice of material is every bit as enterprising as on Boldly From The Westward, with a sizeable quotient of items that, while not exactly obscure, are virtually unknown or rarely performed even by specialist maritime singers. Especially noteworthy is the duo's penchant for unearthing unusual pieces of West Indian origin, like Gonna Get Home By 'n' By (which may even have started life as a Southern States worksong) and We're All Surrounded (a cargo-loading chantey with roots as a minstrel song and spiritual). It's now taken as given from their previous CD that both Richard and Peter sing this repertoire as to the manner born, with plenty of guts, feeling and character but entirely without the mannered overacting of the role that some shanty singers still seem to regard as de-rigeur for making an impact on an audience in performance. Both Peter and Richard have suitably strong voices; though if pushed I might sometimes say that Peter's has the marginally sturdier overall timbre providing a notably commanding lead on six out of the 13 shanties which form the mainstay of the disc. Having said that, Richard's own solo work is admirably forthright and expressive too: I'm inclined to single out his rendition of the Scottish fisherwomen's cry Caller Herrin' (learnt from the Australian singer Danny Spooner!), but in truth all of his shanty leads are also darned fine.
All but four of the disc's 21 items are sung acappella, which is absolutely as it should be for this repertoire. The chosen pace (and speed) of delivery is ideal, the guys being totally unafraid not to rush (as opposed to being either deliberately cautious or plain unenergised!). Again, Peter and Richard have really done their homework in assembling credible performing versions of these pieces. A few of them turn out to be less-often-heard variants of relatively popular shanties: the disc opens with Roll The Cotton Down in a less familiar guise, and the one called Shenandoah isn't the "rolling river" one of that name that we all know, but instead a lusty variant of Down Stevedore, while Let The Bulgine Run is not the familiar Eliza Lee shanty and the Fire Down Below they present here has a more complex structure than the one we normally encounter. Other highlights include the thrusting, grunting Old Tar River (a timber-loading shanty from the Georgia Sea Islands) and the various pieces culled from acknowledged collections (Hugill, Whall, Walton and Carpenter). The disc's not wall-to-wall shanties, however, even though such a menu would in Peter and Richard's hands be both varied and appetising. There's a catchy little forebitter from the 19th century New England whaling community, an Irish rowing song (Óró Mo Bháidín), and an attractive, straightforward but perfectly effective guitar-backed rendition of Just As The Tide Was Flowing, also a pleasing treatment of Never Weatherbeaten Sail (John Conolly's reworking of an old mariner's hymn), with a fetching whistle, fiddle and guitar accompaniment rather in the style of the Merry Band, and the fishing song Swell My Net Full (as collected by Roy Palmer from bargeman Bob Roberts). Richard and Peter are fulsome and generous - also commendably accurate - in crediting their sources, even when (as in the case of Capstan Bar) a shanty of American origin has crossed back over the seas from England into their studio! And presentation's great too, for, although the digipack's succinct notes contain more than sufficient background information to whet one's appetite, the more detailed liner notes and complete lyrics are available on the Handspikes website.
David Kidman April 2007
Richard's a regular shanty-singer at San Francisco's Maritime National Historical Park. Peter's fiddle playing figures large on the local SF Irish music session scene, but he's also a really strong singer with a commanding presence; it's perhaps all the more surprising, then, that he and Richard have only comparatively recently got together as a singing team, although they've known each other since 1989; they currently participate in the monthly shanty-singing sessions which are held aboard the historic square-rigged ship Balclutha. I reviewed Richard's previous CD Time Ashore Is Over back in late 2002, and considered it a breath of fresh sea air in direct contrast to the often stale repertoire and lacklustre performances on some of the recent recordings by specialist shanty crews on this side of the pond. Boldly… is every bit as enterprising a CD as its predecessor; here too, well over half the selections are unfamiliar (ie they haven't been recorded before or often), while even those pieces which are already known to enthusiasts of maritime music are here given very fine performances indeed. These may take the form of newly-researched versions that turn out to be interestingly different from the ones you normally hear (for instance, Homeward Bound - aka Goodbye Fare You Well - is a strange and rare variant with double stanzas). Twelve of the 18 tracks on this CD are chanteys (or shanties), with four sea-related songs, a tune-set and a forebitter completing the menu. Generally, the songs, which include the Whitby ditty Two Jolly Fishermen and others from the living tradition of songwriting (eg Richard Grainger's Scarborough Fishermen) are virtually unknown in the States (I'd like to hear Richard and Peter tackle Grainger's Whitby Whaler next time, and acappella!). The chanteys are imaginatively chosen, and instead of the standard fare mixing capstan and halyard shanties many of those on this disc are sung for stevedore (cargo-loading) activities; they originate from locations as diverse as Barbados, the Great Lakes, Brittany and the Georgia Sea Islands. Even the most well-known of these (Pull Down Below, Down Trinidad and the unusual dialogue-format pump shanty Mobile Bay) receive excellent, forthright and committed performances, while some which were hitherto completely unknown to me (notably Sundown Below and Ten Stone) are just crying out for revival. Richard's and Peter's voices blend particularly well too, though each has a very distinctive character and timbre. Mostly it's just Richard and Peter singing acappella, though a three-strong chorus (Dick Holdstock, Shay Black and Denis Franklin) boosts the complement on four of the chanteys and there's accompaniment from Richard's guitar or whistle and Peter's fiddle with Riggy Rackin's concertina on just a few songs (maybe I'd quibble a bit about the running order, where the instrumentally-accompanied tracks are almost all gathered together around the middle part of the CD). The slim digipack guides us to the website for more detailed liner notes and lyrics, and this brings no disappointment, as it's typically well-researched and presented. Congrats all round on this fine issue.
David Kidman
They may take their name from the Steely Dan album but that's where any comparison ends. Built around guitarist/songwriter Duncan Hamilton and vocalist/guitarist Dan Britton (formerly of Storm Thieves and regular collaborator with Chris Conway), they hail from Up North but make music straight out of 60s California with ringing, chiming guitars, rootsy-pop melodies and close harmonies.
They've got some good friends too, the Nigel Stonier produced (and co-written) album featuring backing vocals from Thea Gilmore plus contributions from John Kirkpatrick (squeezing the accordion on the lovely Waltz For Beginners), Al Perkins (adding keening pedal steel to The Distance), The Little River Band's Beeb Birtles (vocals on Every Time You Call My Name) and Cindy Bullens who lends her powerful voice to the Petty influenced funky Crash And Burn.
But they certainly don't need anyone else's light to shine. Opening with the janglingly catchy title track, they deliver further highlights in a harmonica led Americana of Coming Soon, the Byrdsyian twangy Waiting On The Line, the moody desert folk feel of Going Down and the Gram reminiscent Further. Having only got together two years ago, this is the duo's first album. On this offering, more will be most welcome.
Mike Davies September 2008
Kay Kay and The Rays - Big Bad Girl (Catfood Records)
Big, bold & brassy and that's just Kay Kay! 12 original tracks open with No Mama's Boys, an R&B blockbuster. Steve Lott on guitar is excellent and production by the legendary Jim Gaines is spot-on as usual. Baby Can You Hear Me? continues in the soul/R&B vein with Dan Ferguson on keyboards and Andy Roman on saxophone getting their chance to shine. Kay Kay has a classic soul voice and can go from a whimper to a growl in one swoop. Kay Kay shows some grit on Like Thunder which is altogether rockier than the opening two and Steve Lott serves up a classy guitar solo.
There's a message behind Stop The Killing and this sentiment is always in vogue. Andy Roman excels on sax on this slow song sung with feeling. Kay Kay can turn in a few different styles as That's The Way It Goes shows. This is delivered in a shuffling New Orleans style that's quite different from the rest of the album. Junk Blues is not, essentially, a blues but is more R&B and a damn good one at that. The only thing here is that the song needs a fuller sound. Steve Lott's influence is again heard on Cold Rain Falling. This is the first true blues of the album and Kay Kay turns in a strong performance but she is outshone, for once, by Lott and Roman who are both superb.
Enron Field is another politically driven song but that doesn't stop Kay Kay show consistency in her delivery. This is energetic, funky soul. There's more old time R&B on Cheater and Lott's clever fusion with contemporary guitar results in a good effect. The title track is delivered in Kay Kay's inimitable style and describes a girl that you just don't want to meet! Lott is on form again and just wait until I review his solo albums. Love Of My Life is a bit sweet and out of kilter with the rest of the album and is just a filler. Fortunately, Kay Kay and The Rays are back to form for the final track, Southside Of The Tracks and Lott produces some of his finest work here, the man is a star.
David Blue
Mike Katz - A Month Of Sundays (Temple)
Ex-Ceolbeg and latterly ace piper/whistle player with the Battlefield Band, Mike gets round to releasing his own solo album at last! Although Mike's known as a powerful player, this CD showcases his finesse on a variety of approaches, and so the power is laced with subtlety and musicality to provide an all-round satisfying listen - in other words, you don't get blasted out of your living room and get turned off the pipes for life! As well as the Highland pipes, Mike plays the small pipes, various whistles and acoustic and bass guitars. And, reflecting Mike's eclectic tastes in music, he's joined by a select but diverse group of friends here - not one but two fiddlers (Battlefield colleague Alasdair White and the Tannahill Weavers' John Martin), concertina man Simon Thoumire and jazz guitarist Kevin MacKenzie.
The music they play here ranged from tunes from old manuscript sources through to Breton pieces and a few of Mike's own compositions (with suitably droll titles of course!). And so what if just a few of the tunes are already familiar from Battlefield repertoire - here they emerge freshly minted in Mike's new arrangements. There is much very persuasive music-making on this 56-minute CD, and Mike's artistry is such that you rarely approach tiring of the sound of pipes! Even so, most of the tracks I enjoyed best did feature pipes of one kind or another - for instance the all-too-brief set of reels at track 3, the solo quickstep selection (track 5), the slow Breton air Marig Ar Pontolan and Mike's capably multitracked solo set (track 11). Throughout, Mike's sense of pacing is simply immaculate, yet he allows the music to breathe too; quite a measure of credit for this is due to Kevin's energetic yet refreshingly non-dominant guitar work. Thoughtfulness is the key to each and every instrumental contribution on the CD - and indeed this quality's also a hallmark of the fine booklet notes.
David Kidman
Jorma Kaukonen - Blue Country Heart (Columbia)
Former back-up to Janis Joplin, original line up guitarist of Jefferson Airplane and co-founder of spin off outfit Hot Tuna, Kaukonen not been too visible since reunions of both outfits during the 80s but this, his debut solo album for Columbia, should get his name loudly bandied about when it comes to discussing folk-blues albums of the year.
A finger picker of no mean ability, he grew up inspired by Chicago and Delta blues and this takes him back to his roots, but travelling the sideroads of bluegrass and country to get there. Recruiting high calibre musicians mandolin/fiddle player Sam Bush, dobro whizz Jerry Douglas, upright bass man Byron House and redoubtable banjo wizard Bela Fleck, he headed to Nashville to lay down a collection of acoustic rural blues and bluegrass nuggets from the 20s and 30s by such dust trail riding songsmiths as Jimmie Rodgers, Washington Phillips, the Delmore Brothers, Slim Smith, Cliff Carlisle and Jimmie Davis.
Unless you're a particular aficionado, you may not be that familiar with titles like Red River Blues, These Gambler Blues, Prohibition Blues or I'm Free From The Chain Gang Now but if only through its Elvis connections Just Because should ring a few bells. No matter though, you don't have to be aware of the originals to savour the affection and old time authenticity with which they're revived here, imbued with a freshness free from any muso inclinations and Kaukonen's fingers flying over the frets so nimbly he makes Leo Kottke look all thumbs. OK, there may be a touch of bandwagon riding in the wake of the recent O Brother inspired mountain music revival, but on the evidence of this, Kaukonen's up there in the driver's cab not riding back on coal carts.
Mike Davies
This is a grand, ambitious project that in lesser hands might well have failed utterly: in a nutshell, it's a proudly individual, and entirely successful, attempt to relate the story of Ireland in music, song and poetry. Surely nobody can be unaware of Ruaraí Ó Caomhánach (alias Ron Kavana) and his unimpeachable status as a vital force within contemporary Irish, Celtic and British culture - his already impressive 30-year track record cannot be ignored, and he'd be deserving of a place in the musical history books on the evidence of just a handful of original songs. Not least for penning the landmark anthem Reconciliation, a superb new rendition of which comes near the close of disc four. This song, more than any other perhaps, stands as a summary of Ron's personal take and final thesis, both an appreciation of political and cultural change and of justifiable anger against it, both a rallying-cry and an expression of steadfast endurance and optimism. Ron's unshakeable belief is that "the songs of our land have much light to shed on our past and thereby much to offer in understanding our present and anticipating our future". In presenting and examining songs expressing belief, attitude or political stance alongside those written in response to particular events, Irish Ways may not in the end make any claim to definitive truth or unique insight, but it's still a staggering artistic and creative achievement by any standards.
Aside from anything else, the presentation of the whole set is most attractive, the four CDs housed alongside a hardcover 150-page (46,000 words) illustrated book which gives first a historical chronology and then a sensible and well-thought-out overview before launching into a detailed and learnèd discussion of the historical context and source of each of the actual songs and poetry excerpts performed including full song lyrics (much of the text of which is taken from the linking narration you'll hear on the CDs themselves), to which is then appended a pretty exhaustive bibliography and discography - all of which demonstrates the sheer depth of research and consideration of perspective which Ron has undertaken over the six years that it's taken him to bring the project to fruition. Ron admits that what we have here represents but two-thirds of the total of twelve hours' worth of material he'd recorded for the project (and around a fifth of the word-count for the written history!) before the limitation imposed by the record company became clear. Even so, Ron manages to focus unerringly on the essentials of the powerful, tragic, moving and inspiring story he's telling: a complex story, to be sure, with many facets, conflicting standpoints and a plethora of important philosophical and political issues. During the course of over five hours, he takes us on a compelling and truly epic audio journey which satisfies both musically and chronologically; his own narrative, delivered with total conviction and all due sense of the drama that's unfolding through history, links the songs without intruding, and draws the listener in close for a concentrated and at times demanding experience (for these are not ephemeral compositions - each verse, phrase or sentence is integral to the flow and sequence of Ron's argument). In illustrating his personal thesis, Ron appears to leave no important stone unturned as he gives fresh airings to some hitherto well-worn traditional songs, while also ensuring the voice of the people gets heard through some exceptional examples of historical songwriting (aside from a large but welcome contingent of Ron's own fine compositions, there's Dick Gaughan's Both Sides Of The Tweed - here adapted for the Boyne - as well as Tommy Makem's Four Green Fields, Tony Canniffe's The Summer Soldiers, Sean Mone's Lovers And Friends, and an intriguing arrangement of Ewan MacColl's Travelling People/Freeborn Man). Here as on his creative treatments of the traditional source material, Ron displays a natural, masterly and deep-rooted understanding both of the lyrics he performs and of the musical language of Irish culture as a whole. I could single out some individual songs that have particularly moved me here, but there are so many, and this review is long enough already! And although a majority of the songs are on the downbeat and thought-provoking side, Ron also does a nice line in satire on occasion.
For this project, Ron has enlisted the help of a fabulous host of musical talents: not only the members of his own Alias Band (Mick Coyne, Dave Harper, Mike "Mungo" O'Connor, Christy Hurley and Martin Leahy), but also an unbelievable roll-call of guest singers and musicians including Paddy Keenan, Eamonn Coyne, Terry Woods, Miriam Kavanagh, Brian McNeill, Mick McAuley, Gino Lupari and Colm Murphy, with telling cameos from the likes of Shane MacGowan, Niamh Parsons and Annie Armstrong (though it's rather frustrating that it's not possible to find at a glance the whereabouts or identity of any of their specific contributions to individual items - it would have been so useful, and fairly practical I'm sure, to have included these individual credits in the tracklisting at the back of the book, after all). The recordings are all brand new (no tired raiding of back-catalogues!), and several of the unaccompanied vocal selections were recorded at the celebrated Cork Singers' Club; whatever the provenance, sound quality is superb throughout.
Irish Ways has been worth the wait of its protracted gestation, for it proves an overwhelming experience, one that positively demands, and considerably repays, your closest listening and to which repeated exposure will I suspect be deemed mandatory. It's an epic set, and (at only a couple of quid over £20) incredibly reasonably priced.
David Kidman June 2007
Kealer - My Own Worst Enemy (Zomba)
Mike Davies
"For those not already in the know, Seán Keane from Co. Galway is the owner of the most distinctive male voice in Ireland today", runs the press release. And with justified pride. With each successive album, Seán has consolidated that reputation and increased his fan-base, performing with real feeling a variety of material that has invariably surprised and delighted admirers of traditional and contemporary song alike. The Man That I Am proved his most successful album to date, and the deluxe Seánsongs is set to eclipse even that grand offering. It's a two-disc set, only very loosely sub-divided by disc into contemporary and traditional, and features that wonderfully distinctive voice effortlessly coping with the demands of classic folk, songwriter, country and blues-tinged material. Whatever their provenance, it's always abundantly clear that the songs have been chosen purely because Seán loves to sing them.
The first disc contains pretty well matchless, often highly individual interpretations of Ron Kavana's Reconciliation, Richard Thompson's Withered And Died, Julian Dawson's Pilgrims, Gillian Welch's Barroom Girls, Peter O'Hanlon's Trick Of Time and no less than three fine songs by Mick Hanly. I can't fault the instrumental accompaniments, which as before are a model of sensitivity and restraint, even when the actual texture is relatively full. The second disc contains in addition to its six songs, four tune-sets on which Seán gets to give his voice a well-earned rest and prove his skills on whistles, flute and uilleann pipes. The songs on this second disc comprise the traditional (Skibereen and Banks Of The Lee providing two of the set's highlights), alongside Satisfied Mind and the only track I still can't enjoy (Beautiful Dreamer - and that's because I hate the song, even though Seán sings it beautifully!). So it's a lovely set this, for admirers and converts alike.
David Kidman
Put aside your musical snobbery, if you heard this without knowing it was Keating then it would surely score favourable response for its eminently hummable Celtic flavoured Americana songs. Melodic ballads from start to finish, Keating at times sounding not unlike Smokie's Chris Norman without the huskiness, it's an attractive package of under the stars emotional yearnings, some embossed with strings, others with just tinkling piano and acoustic guitar.
Jamie Cullum fingers the ivories for To Be Loved, the ever wonderful Kate Rusby drops by to lend her Northern tones to All Over Again and Ronan even wheels out his guitar pop suss with a lovely waltzing cover of Goo Goo Dolls' classic Iris. I'm not about to make any claims for him as a shining new country star likely to convert die-hard Americana devotees, but bend an ear to Friends In Time, Bring You Home and the stirring closer, So Far Away, with its swelling anthemics and Maori chant courtesy of Emer Quinn and you might be pleasantly surprised.
Mike Davies, July 2006
Ever since his debut recording Timelines (which, unbelievably, was recorded nearly twenty years ago!), James has always been renowned as a singer-songwriter with a uniquely alert sense of history who imparts his songs with a potent historical perspective.
On his 2004 release Then Again James gave us his fresh present-day perspective on some of his earlier most celebrated songs. So now, it seems entirely natural that on his eighth (solo) album he comes full circle in a manner of speaking, paying tribute to, and giving us his personal perspective on, a collection of songs which (with one exception) he didn't write himself (I'm being careful about the wording here). Ewan MacColl's Sweet Thames Flow Softly is probably the highlight; it's given a gently touching performance, with a beautifully simple and uncluttered backing (just James with long-time collaborator Hugh McMillan on upright bass and octave mandolin). Then there's Paul Metsers' Farewell To The Gold, where James' broken, slightly staggered vocal phrasing may at first seem a little unsettling, but his response to the lyric is so genuine. Dan Somers' Harvest Train has all the feel of a traditional American ballad.
Six of the album's ten songs emanate from traditional sources, and James gives us reliable and deeply affectionate readings which more often than not cast a degree of fresh light on the stories they tell. James' musical settings flow easily, though they do contain some less expected (if not exactly radical) elements: for instance, Boston Burglar is somewhat more reflective than we're used to hearing, and Bonnie Light Horseman becomes a mournful and quite fetching country-waltz. The Constant Lovers receives a tender treatment too. Here, as throughout, James is on excellent vocal form, his smooth, rich baritone a constant delight to hear and luxuriate in! His guitar playing may appear effortlessly faultless but it's a model of understated soulfulness and sympathetic simplicity in execution. Guest musicians include Nancy Kerr, James Fagen, Oscar Lopez, Veda Hille, Lloyd Peterson and five members of young Irish band Danú. The songs, and James's attitude to heritage, tradition and history, are all neatly summed up on the final track, My Blood, a joint composition with Jez Lowe that arose out of a 2003 Songwriters In The Round tour; Jez guests on mandola and vocals on this track, as does Jordan McConnell on uilleann pipes, bringing the album to a rousing and satisfying conclusion.
www.myspace.com/jameskeelaghan
www.keelaghan.com
John Davy January 2007
James Keelaghan - Then Again (Jericho Beach)
The title is, when you think about it, self-explanatory – like one of those crossword clues that are so obvious but only when you're given the answer! "Then" (ie the past) is revisited (ie done "again"). On this CD, which celebrates James' 18-year-so-far career, James reworks 11 of his earlier songs to bring them up to date with the versions he now shares with audiences – as he himself describes it: "Over the years some lyrics have changed, some rhythms have changed, the band members and collaborators have changed. All in all it's a different world. I wanted some of the songs to catch up." I don't have room here for a thesis on comparing and contrasting the new versions with the old (I'd need to be paid a fee for that!), but suffice to say that most of them are sufficiently different to be worth buying in their new clothes (even if you have the original albums); some diverge more radically than others from the earlier versions, but all can be heard as fresh reworkings gleaming with insights gained over the years.
The songs are certainly among James's best-loved in terms of audience appeal, though we'll all have favourites that haven't been included (even from the four albums that have been sourced – I admit I was a trifle surprised to find River Run absent from the tracklist)! Fans of James' work who have come to his music through the later albums like Home and Road need have no compunction about purchasing Then Again, which draws exclusively on the albums Small Rebellions, A Recent Future and My Skies (three songs apiece) and his debut Timelines (two songs). Whatever, the genius of James' writing shines through in every single song, from personal and reflective creations (Orion, I Would I Were, Turn Of The Wheel) through to spellbinding historically-based narratives like Cold Missouri Waters, Jenny Bryce and Fires Of Calais. The latter, although now a whole minute shorter than the Timelines version, rather curiously seems to gain in momentum from being taken altogether more slowly and deliberately, and from James's now even more deeply-felt, more assured vocal phrasing and tonal warmth.
Small but telling changes in phrasing make James' new version of Somewhere Ahead even more poignant. Hillcrest Mine has shaken off its original mien of Stan-Rogers-like wistfulness for a more robust quality of defiance. A Recent Future, always a standout track, now glistens even more brightly like a newly-cut jewel. Hold Your Ground now jettisons its slightly passé jokey-ragtime shuffle in favour of an invigorating bluegrassy chugalong lick. But hey, if you've not yet discovered Canada's finest singer-songwriter, then by all means start here. Otherwise I'm probably preaching to the converted, who'll already either have bought Then Again from James on his latest UK tour or are planning to buy it anyway. It goes without saying that the musical contributions from James' collaborators on this latest recording are without exception excellent and perfectly judged, with a real sense of ensemble (where called for) and some tasteful solo work from those amazing compadres Hugh McMillan and Oliver Schroer in particular.
David Kidman
The bland (though baldly truthful) epithet of Canadian singer-songwriter hardly does James Keelaghan justice, for he has built up a healthy following on this side of the water over the space of five years and as many solo albums, no doubt largely due to his commanding live presence, where his rich, effortlessly beautiful voice gives full expression to his crafted-but-with feeling lyrics. I don't (yet) find this new offering quite as satisfying as the previous one, Road, but that may be my own fault - or the fact that Road contained some of the very finest songs in James' entire canon couched in superlative arrangements.
But Home is no letdown, with six new Keelaghan compositions among its ten tracks. These typically point parallels between historical events and our own more personal lives, with their mixture of desperation and hope both born of experience and reality. The characters peopling his songs are totally believable too. The juxtaposition of memories and perceptions is especially telling on October 70, perhaps, but it's a device James uses often and to good effect, as when he hones in on the personal dimension on Sinatra And I. James brings a similar degree of expressive commitment and integrity to the traditional songs he tackles – The Flower Of Magherally transcends its purely Irish roots in James's appealing version. James also covers Ian Tamblyn's beautifully evocative Woodsmoke And Oranges, the cultured wildness of his voice conveying the essential spirit of the rugged landscape and its impact on the man within. Here, as elsewhere on the CD, James benefits from unobtrusive yet definite instrumental support from (mainly) Oliver Schroer (violin, guitar) and Hugh McMillan (pedal steel), a perfect setting for his own voice and guitar. Whether you're a diehard Keelaghan fan or a more recent convert, you're unlikely to be disappointed by Home.
David Kidman
David Kidman
Another of the label's reissues package, this former Arista release dates from 1997 and was Keen's first after leaving Sugar Hill. It's an obvious attempt to reach out to a wider audience, boosting up the muscle with a fuller sound and a more rootsy alt-rock sound after his previous, folksier and more intimate albums. It's not as satisfying as his sparser work and there's times, as on Over The Waterfall, when he seems to be straining against the arrangements, uncomfortable with the more amped up approach. That said, there's still much to recommend, both with self-penned nuggets like The Coming Home Of The Son And Brother and Oh Rosie and covers like Dave Alvin's Fourth Of July. But as the closing Then Came Lo Mien, a stripped down acoustic duet with Margo Timmins, ably underlines in Keen's case less is more definitely more. And, just as an aside, it's a pity the label couldn't see its way to including some sleeve notes, or at least song credits!
Mike Davies
Robert Earl Keen - Gravitational Forces (Lost Highway)
If it were only for the fact that this is the first time Keen's done a studio recording of his much covered live favourite The Road Goes On Forever would be incentive enough to snap this up. That it also features his version of Joe Dolce's My Home Ain't In The Hall of Fame, a cover of Cash chestnut I Still Miss Someone, Terry Allen's High Plains Jamboree and Townes Van Zandt's Snowin' On Raton all of which he makes his own makes it essential. And that's not even taking into consideration his own Fallin' Out, Hello New Orleans, Wild Wind, Not A Drop of Rain and spoken frazzled life on the road title track, masterpieces all. Served up with Keen's whiskey throated Texas drawl that brings together Earle and Ely and a batch of lyrics that bubble up from roads travelled, loves lost and small town burn-outs and still manage to find a reason to pour another glass, start the ignition again and head off down the highway. Feel the tug.
Mike Davies
The famous Irish label Gael Linn is currently celebrating its 50th anniversary of publishing traditional Irish music, and the label's back catalogue is being re-launched on CD. In time, this will include early recordings by De Danann and Clannad in addition to some definitive and well-regarded items by solo performers in the tradition.
The first batch of reissues includes this vital and urgent 1975 recording which constituted the solo debut of the Bothy Band's uillean piper Paddy Keenan. It was recorded by Paddy at a time when the Bothy Band were at their zenith, having re-established the importance of his instrument within the traditional folk scene. This widely-distributed (courtesy of Proper) new reissue will be greatly welcomed I know, for it is a superb artistic achievement in every respect, fully deserving of the tag "classic" within its field. Perhaps surprisingly considering its designation as a solo album, only six of the sixteen tracks actually give us Paddy's piping in glorious solo, unadorned mode. However, each of these is a tour-de-force, providing ample evidence of his innate and total mastery of his instrument and his deep understanding of the tradition, as well as plenty of hints of the tremendous inspiration Paddy drew from master piper Johnny Doran.
The remainder of the tracks feature splendid contributions from Paddy's brothers Thomas (whistle) and John (banjo, flute). There's an infectious joyousness to the unison playing of banjo and pipes on The Ace And Deuce Of Piping, but the wholly delicious accuracy of John's amazing picking technique is demonstrated even more persuasively when Paddy vacates the stage to let John perform a set of reels on his own (track 6). Thomas gets a couple of brief whistle solos to himself, too. However, last but not least, the two tracks featuring fiddler Paddy Glackin are considered by many to rank among the finest ever recordings of Irish traditional music, especially the fiery, virtuosic duet on the two reels (track 4), where the absolute unity of fiddle and pipes blending beautifully is quite breathtaking, the two musicians displaying a skilful use of harmonics while never losing sight of the driving pulse of the dance. This masterful combination of control and drive also comes through in Paddy's use of syncopation within his harmony accompaniment, as Seamus Ennis perceptively observes in his enthusiastic and informed sleeve notes, which are reproduced in full for this reissue.
Throughout, the unbridled intensity of Paddy's musicianship is noteworthy; while clearly he's immersed in his own playing, he's suitably responsive when other musicians are around. All told, this is a very important reissue; to describe it as a landmark recording for Irish traditional music would probably not be overstating the case.
www.gaellinn.com
www.paddykeenan.com
David Kidman
For further information about forthcoming Gael Linn releases in the UK contact Copperplate Consultants
www.copperplateconsultants.com
All the members of this young Edinburgh-based four-piece are already kept more than busy with other projects, but miraculously (and fortuitously for us!) they've somehow found time to record this sparkling CD. Who are we talking about then? The welcomingly ubiquitous Simon Thoumire (concertina), Eilidh Shaw of the Poozies (fiddle/vocals), Malcolm Stitt of Nusa and Boys Of The Lough (bouzouki) and Kevin Mackenzie of Sunhoney (guitar), that's who – simply four of the most talented exponents of the music you could wish for. On Safari (which I'm told is the band's second album, though I've not heard their first) fairly bristles with session-style energy, impulsively seizing the heat of the moment and translating it into imaginative interpretation while scrupulously observing the relevant rhythmic and melodic contours. The empathy between the four musicians is tangible, while there's a lyrical quality to the playing (no doubt born of an acute sense of dynamic control) that sits unexpectedly well with the intense drive they generate; the bouzouki/guitar bedrock is exemplary. All but one track of On Safari is comprised of tune-sets, and all sources (mostly Scottish, with a few canny transcriptions of Cape Breton pipe tunes) are documented in the booklet; Eilidh shows herself to have well mastered the compositional idiom too with her two contributions. As well as the usual faster sets, from the White Heather repertoire come a sequence of three lovely waltzes and a Jimmy Shand march to give metrical variety. The necessary vocal contrast comes quite early on at track 4, where Eilidh delicately sings the lament and lullaby Griogal Cridhe, but later she crops up again when she brings us some stylish lilting to the final set of the disc. Add to all that a typically clean and clear-toned recording with ideal balance which allows individual instrumental timbres to ring out splendidly, and you have a winner of a CD. www.footstompin.com
David Kidman
David Kidman
Katell Keineg -High July (Megaphone)
A hard to find four track EP in 2002 aside, it's been seven years since the Welsh born, Brittany raised and "part-time New Yorker, part-time Dubliner" singer-songwriter last released anything. The silence is finally broken with her third release, opening track What's The Only Thing Worse Than The End of Time? (a slow-burning Cohen-esque brooding slice of Celtic darkness and guitar shuffle where she sings of being born with millennium tension and drops references to Coppola and Apocalypse Now) and the hummable summery folksy pop Beautiful Day making the transition from the EP.
The beaty pop Shaking The Disease and On Yer Way which opens in dreamy cloud kissed spaces before evolving into a clangy seven minute affair may suggest a more deliberately commercial appeal this time round, but don't be fooled.
With her jazzy folk inclinations evident on the acoustic Captain (Steal This Riff), Little Joe a breathy comedown love song with spare 3am percussion, High Marks ringing with harsh reverb acoustic guitar, thrumming bass and Keineg's voice both stretching to the skies and burrowing underground, Brother of the Brush a simple backwoods country tune sung in the unlikely persona of Gaugin and, keeping the country colours, Seven League Boots sounding like something from the Judy Collins sings the Jacques Brel songbook with burping brass, it's clearly not destined for too many background wallpaper coffee tables. And don't expect to always make sense of the lyrics either.
Hers is still the music of the earth and sky, simple, textured, capable of sparse, tear-stained fragility and storming tempests, that intricate voice, subtle, sensuous arrangements and lyrical depth and emotion coming together with heart-shuddering effect. It's taking longer than it should to become the major international star that is her talent's birthright, but she's getting there.
Mike Davies
Irene Kelley - Thunderbird (Me And My Americana Records)
Pennsylvania-born Irene started out as a "metal mama" in a rock and roll band, but found where her true musical sympathies lay after sudden exposure to the music of Dolly Parton at age 15. She started writing songs at age 19, and from the mid-eighties her songs were finding their natural home on records by Trisha Yearwood, Loretta Lynn and Carl Jackson among others, although her own MCA album was never released except for two singles taken prematurely from it.
Irene's first proper album release didn't happen until 1999's Simple Path, a self-produced effort for which Thunderbird is the followup, picking up in every respect where Simple Path left off. All 11 of its tracks are her own compositions, and just one listen tells you she's got the ear and the knack for writing hit material to Nashville standard and right within that accessible-new-country idiom.
On the opener Highway, co-written with her pal Claire Lynch (a star in her own right of course), Irene sets out her stall simply and persuasively, examining her own internal confusions about where life's highway is leading her. From then on in, it's a personal chronicle of life lived and life yet to live, telling Irene's own story in a musically appealing and direct, immediate fashion. So immediate, in fact, that many of the songs conjure up images that run before your mind like music videos (Big Girl Now and the title track being particular cases in point).
Her images are straight from the heart, and some of the best songs recall Dolly P's own, not least in the affectionate way they portray memories, and Cold All The Time is very reminiscent of Emmylou. Comin' Back From The Moon, with its gentle rockabilly feel, could well have come straight from an early Steve Earle album. Burn Down The House is an object lesson in effective use of metaphor, a cautionary one warning of the dangerous power of passion. One or two of the other songs are less memorable, melodically at any rate, but that's just the company they keep! Irene's backing band has all the right credentials - just a mention of the names involved (Scott Neubert, Mike Chapman, Stuart Duncan, Brent Truitt and Bob Mummers) should give you an idea - and with backing vocals from Scott N, Irene's buddy Claire Lynch (and even Rodney Crowell on one cut) she can't go wrong.
David Kidman
Dave Kelly - Resting My Bones (Hypertension)
Some time back on a hot night at the 12-Bar Club, Soho, the audience spilled out into the back alley. A tourist walked by and stopped to listen to the music. "It's OK I guess, but don't he play anything I know?". The act in question was Johnny Dowd so that wasn't going to happen! Now, if it had been Dave Kelly and he'd been promoting his latest album, she'd have been happy and singing along right there on the pavement. Lovey Dovey, Dock Of The Bay, World In Motion, City Of New Orleans and If I Were A Carpenter are some of the songs Kelly covers on his latest album for Hypertension, together with five of his own-penned songs, which are more in a gentle country or blues, roots-rocking mood, and sound like classic standards anyway.
This is only Kelly's tenth album in thirty four years. Hardly prolific but he's no slouch; the album title 'Resting My Bones' is definitely tongue in cheek. During this time he's been involved with four albums with The John Dummer Blues Band, fourteen with the The Blues Band and then there was the 'Tramp' sessions with Mick Fleetwood - and he's out on the road gigging for much of the year.
To quote Hypertension, 'Resting My Bones ... [is] played mostly in a group format, from the nucleus of The Dave Kelly Band of the past eight years: Pete Emery, husband of his late sister Jo-Anne Kelly on guitar, longtime DKB stalwart and sometime Blues Band keyboardist Peter Filleul, co producer and top session bass guitarist Marcus Cliffe and ex Dire Straits drummer Pick Withers. These are augmented on various tracks by the guy who produced The Official Blues Band Bootleg Album and Ready for The Blues Band: Lou Stonebridge on keyboards, long time Roger Chapman sideman Steve Simpson on violin and Nashville session guitarist Rod Smarr.'
It's an 'easy' album, laid-back and classy with nice touches of slide guitar and Dobro. It's one I'll probably be playing again and again.
Sue Cavendish
George Kelly - Lucid Intervals (Mixter Records)
Detroit based Kelly's debut album is a mix of blues, rock and soul, peppered with slide guitar and Steely Dan influences. The opener, Get What U Pay 4 shows how good a slide guitarist Kelly is, even if the vocals are a bit thin. Where The Blues Are is a slow, blues based song which suits his voice better and builds up into an excellent song, showing his song-writing skills. There's more than a little Steely Dan in Threshing Floor and George's voice is starting to grow on me. In addition, there's some very good guitar work towards the end of the song.
The Van Morrison-esque Walking Distance is rather weak but Bluesman more than makes up for it. This very classy, jazzy blues has Billy Gaff ripping up the piano as Kelly scorches on the guitar. Fugitive Kind is slow and has a certain appeal that is difficult to pin down. It's not all electric as Otis Spann shows. This goes along ok but produces little to get excited about and is a missed opportunity. Love Interest is Steely Dan style jazz and the slide returns on Desert Island. I firmly believe that Kelly is at his best when he's playing slide guitar. This is slow, but effective and is very much in the style of John Hiatt. Pyrrhic Victory is a Celtic influenced finish and is the type of song that Mark Knopfler is so proficient at. Kelly saves his best for last and does his song-writing reputation no harm at all.
This isn't a blues album but Kelly could major in the blues if he so wished. On the other hand, if he chose rock or R&B then his song-writing skills would carry the day there too.
David Blue
Sometime Green Pajama luminary Kelly is another man dedicated to keeping alive the flame of The Beatles. This, his fourth album of a solo career that runs in parallel with the aforementioned Green Pajamas, sees Kelly delve deeper into his own psyche with a stellar collection of self-penned, self-played and self-performed material. For The Swan In The Hallway dips and dives between a series of slow and mid-tempo songs where Kelly's fragile voice struggles to master the sometimes furious backing. But, peer through the angst and religious metaphors littered throughout the collection, and there is some fine music: Oxford Street, a paean to London's busy thoroughfare, is almost classic singer-songwriter territory, with Kelly's plaintive vocals counter-pointing with strummed acoustic guitar. When the beat kicks in, shades of Simon and Garfunkel appear. Afterimage begins with nursery rhyme piano and swells into a glorious, melancholy anthem. For The Swan In The Hallway is personal and haunted; where the shadows of night fight a never-ending battle with the sunlight.
John Stacey
Self-styled "Harmonium Hero" John is one of those reliable and highly competent performers who provide folk club audiences with a memorable and well-judged evening's entertainment yet aren't widely known outside of a small circle of appreciative admirers - which is not at all to say that his approach to English traditional song is an acquired taste. John first sang in a folk club in 1968, since which time making a recording is about the only thing he hasn't done, so this CD is way overdue. John's accomplished and characterful performing style is both individual and very attractive: it might best be described as elegant and thoughtful, with the measured, lyrical qualities of his singing voice and vocal delivery ably complemented by those same qualities in his atmospheric and supportive playing. John accompanies himself mostly on the aforementioned harmonium (which, John points out, is actually an American organ!), or the bina (an Indian variant thereof), and sometimes on guitar (in an interesting variety of different tunings). He's also an adept whistle player, an aspect of his artistry which is represented on the CD by just one track, The Humours Of Ballyloughlin (on which he also indulges in doubletracking a bodhrán part). With one exception (see below), the remainder of the disc concentrates on John's appealing arrangements of traditional songs: many, though well-known, are perfectly plausible collations from different sources. In the main it's easy to warm to John's pleasing and very satisfying readings, and they're unlikely to disappoint (although one or two songs exhibit minor eccentricities of phrasing or diction and/or may initially seem to be taken at just a tad too brisk a pace.) Particularly persuasive, however, I thought, were John's renditions of Lord Gregory, The Magdalen Green and The Border Widow's Lament, while I also really liked John's guitar playing style: at the same time simple and mellifluous, and yet in exactly the right proportion to the vocal line (The Swan Swims Bonny makes for a good illustration). Guitar also provides the backing for the lone exception I mentioned, Horse And Waggon, which is an impressive self-penned song much in the Ewan MacColl mould. The CD comes with nicely informative liner notes too.
www.bigalwhittle.co.uk/johnkellyharmoniumhero
David Kidman February 2008
Jonathan Kelly - Waiting On You/ Two Days In Winter (BGO Records)
While we're waiting for the man's eponymous (and extremely rare) Parlophone debut LP to be reissued, BGO follows its acclaimed 2001 reissue of albums 2 and 3 (Twice Round The Houses and Wait Till They Change The Backdrop) with a series-completing "twofer" reissue of Jonathan's final two LPs for RCA, first released in 1974 and 1975 respectively. By the time of Waiting On You, Jonathan had virtually abandoned folk for rock, and formed a band which he called Jonathan Kelly's Outside. The band included guitarists Snowy White and Chas Jankel, the lineup being completed by the rhythm section of Trevor Williams and David Sheen.
Waiting On You consisted exclusively of Jonathan's own songs, and whilst lyrically at any rate there were still traces of the quirky interest that characterised his earlier work, the musical settings were very mainstream rock of an increasingly undistinguished nature, with little to lodge in the memory. The soft-funk ambience of stretch-out cuts like Tell Me People had more drive to it, but the attractive and yes tasty grooves there and elsewhere couldn't quite compensate for the relative vacuity of the lyrics generally, and even the more than competent playing didn't make the album stand out from the morass of anonymous bland rock of the time. I recall seeing the band live around that period and was so bored I actually walked out (a rare occurrence for me!).
Tired riffs and clichéd expressions were the order of the day, sadly, and the acoustic sounds of Two Days In Winter's opening track Baby Child came as a welcome relief. That album saw Jonathan even further under the influence of drugs, Outside having disbanded, and he'd reverted to his real name (Jon Ledingham) as far as writing and performing credits went. For supporting musicians Jon had retained Dave Sheen, but recruited Kum Harada (bass), Roger Rettig (pedal steel), congas and marimba players and a string quintet. The resulting gentle classical folk-soul-rock mix was not without its attractiveness, and the album as a whole felt distinctly cooler, more laid-back in attitude and more relaxed in tone (despite its often unquestioning bleakness) as well as being more in tune with the times musically, while Jon's writing at least stayed on or close to the plateau he'd reached on the better of the Waiting On You tracks, many cuts surpassing them by some, and there were no outright embarrassments or fillers among its 13 selections either. In fact, the vast majority of this album surprised me at this temporal remove by standing up to repeated plays over recent weeks, and I liked in particular the retro-autumnal feel of cuts like What Can I Do Now? and the pared-down settings of Rabbit Face and One More Kiss.
The booklet enclosed with this reissue reproduces the lyrics for Waiting On You, but sadly not those of Two Days In Winter (never having owned the vinyl LP, I don't know whether the original LP packaging contained lyrics or not, so I can't definitively say whether BGO are shortchanging us on that point!). Although Jonathan's fans will doubtless be pleased to have these albums again now (having presumably worn out the original vinyl), surely they'd be happier to see that elusive 1970 debut LP of Jonathan's reissued on CD. Meanwhile, some well-received live gigs in the past year or so have galvanised Jonathan into considering relaunching his performing career, as apparently he's been writing constantly of late - so take a look at his website for further news as it appears.
home.freeuk.net/jonathanled/
www.bgo-records.com
David Kidman
Though he never regarded himself as a folkie, the enigmatic Jonathan Kelly was catapulted from obscurity to manic acclaim at a stroke through his landmark appearance at the 1971 Cambridge Folk Festival, following which he toured the clubs extensively, flooring audiences with his characteristic combination of rambling, laughter-inducing intros and tightly balanced, exceedingly well-crafted self-composed songs. Like many before and since, Jonathan became disillusioned with the music business and retired from the scene after releasing a couple more albums without breaking through into any degree of success beyond a few aficionados (it has often been said, quite justifiably, that all Jonathan needed was a Streets Of London, say, to lift him to stardom). The two albums on this two-disc reissue were first issued in 1972 and 1973, and contain most of his best performances; they range from the sometimes acoustic-based troubadour songs of Twice to Wait's punchier material that formed the basis for the Jonathan Kelly's Outside band sets of the mid-70s.
Many of Jonathan's songs (Madeleine, Ballad Of Cursed Anna) will seem familiar through having been covered (though less often recorded) by other artists, especially those of the contemporary acoustic scene. They possess a poignant and personal sensibility that's his own, yet is capable of being appreciated in a wider context. On Twice, Jonathan had the benefit of a host of folk and rock session players including Rick Kemp, Gerry Conway, Jerry Donaghue, Tim Renwick, Peter Wood and even Donal Lunny on guitar, whereas Wait added the Sutherland Brothers themselves to Messrs. Renwick and Wood to produce a generally rockier sound through which Jonathan's songs had to penetrate. Listening to these albums again after all these long years, once you've accepted the tasteful, if occasionally slightly anonymous soft-rock arrangements as given (and very much of their time), the sheer quality and consistency of the songs is in no doubt, but perhaps what comes across strongest is Jonathan's gift for vocal phrasing that brings the songs alive in a way that other interpreters (however good or well-intentioned) have never quite been able.
www.jonathankelly.co.uk David Kidman
A West End star with a Best Actress Olivier Award on her mantelpiece for her performance as Mary Poppins, Kelly now branches out into the Radio 2 singer-songwriter/interpreter market with an album that shows there's a lot more to her than a spoonful of sugar.
Produced by Marius De Vries who's previously twiddled knobs for David Gray and Rufus Wainwright, it's something of an uneven mix in as much as the material runs the gamut from a dreamily romantic take on Paul Weller's You Do Something To Me to Sondheim's skipping Losing My Mind which she gives the showtune treatment but tries rather unsuccessfully to add a dash of comic pertness.
You can hear the stage background working its way through things like Numb, Stumbling, her cover of Somewhere Only We Know, and the self-penned spare piano arrangement Butterflies, all of which sound like they've been extracted from some musical production. They sit uneasily alongside the piano based sweetly hushed feline version of Nick Drake's Riverman that opens the album and the Norah Jones meets Dido aspirations she displays on her own There Was A Time.
Such niggles aside though, it's a highly pleasant example of coffee table easy listening that reveals her to have both good musical taste and an impressive collection of admirers, including as it does a rather lovely cover of The Cardigans' Communication and the Bacharach/David Reach Out alongside co-writing credits by Guy Chambers (The Storm Inside) and, something of a first, Neil Hannon (Butterflies). Not to mention the fact that the jazzy piano funking Sweet Solution was written for her by Jamie Cullum. Unlikely to provide a companion trophy for her Olivier, but if she can deliver it live it lays a decent foundation for a continued recording career.
Mike Davies, May 2006
Having in his time variously appended his name to The Dots, The Coloured Girls and The Messengers, these days the Australian singer-songwriter has been following a solo career. As such he's recorded bluegrass, folk, rock and even dance groove albums as well as writing the score for both Lantana and Jindabyne.
Having briefly formed The Stardust Five, this is his first album under his own name for four years, and comes laden with the sort of references and imagery on which he's made his name. He says Blake's Songs of Innocence and Experience informed the track sequencing, albeit with the former sandwiched between songs reflecting the latter. Religion and the Bible loom large, Adam and Eve getting the nod on the Dylanesque, crunching guitar title track while he quotes the Book of Revelations in the last verse of God Told Me, another moody rock number sung in the person of a religion driven terrorist. The stark solo piano closer, Please Leave Your Light On, which might have been lifted from Blood On The Tracks, even leans on the story of the prodigal son.
The opening, Feelings Of Grief, begins with the sound of a mey, a Turkish folk instrument that evokes precisely the mood of lament the song explores, albeit with Kelly moving more into atmospheric U2 territory. Then, ringing the musical changes, there's the clanky bluegrass, boogie, blues and beats flavours of Sweetest Thing (where his nasal delivery again sounds like Dylan) while You're 39, You're Beautiful And Your Mine is a slow country waltz that could have strayed in from a Willie Nelson album, and (the last of the 'innocence' numbers) Foggy Fields Of France is twanging acoustic country swing that borrows its musical template from 50s Sun Records and its chorus from ee cummings' I Carry Your Heart With Me.
It doesn't all work; Right Outta My Head is a dirty blues rock groove with what sounds like either worksong or sea shanty backing vocals and Keep On Driving is throwaway train rhythm jogging rockabilly. But when Kelly hits the vein, as he does on the storytelling The Ballad of Queenie And Rover, a brassy swaggering speak-sing song about two famed Aboriginal artists, then these apples are golden delicious.
www.paulkelly.com.au
www.myspace.com/paulkellymusic
Mike Davies August 2008
How can you not enjoy the company of a musician who so obviously loves and nurtures songs as much as Canadian Bob Kemmis.
It's also impossible not to smile at the title of his 3rd album, if any collection were less 'ready' for an arena it's these. To enjoy them fully you've got to get up close.
Kemmis hasn't just written the songs for Arena Ready, like a master jeweller he's taken the raw material and fashioned, chiselled, buffed and polished it into 11 jewels.
If Arena Ready is an accurate guide, it would be easy to imagine much scratching of heads during Kemmis's trips to Nashville. In a town where the parameters are set largely by tradition, the arrival of such a singular talent must have upset the equilibrium a little. Late Night Advice could easily be the theme for those moments, the awkward tale of a misfit it establishes Kemmis as a crisp and sharp writer, barely a word or line on it or Arena Ready is misplaced or misused, beautifully created word pictures are scattered throughout like masterpieces in a gallery.
The economy of writing on Let Down for instance, serves to heighten its impact and enjoyment while Freak Luck is pure joy for anyone who enjoys the intelligent use of words.
Kemmis also gently coaxes each track along, an air of optimism buoys the album, he uses his gentle singing style to warmly invite the listener in to the magical world he has created.
If all that makes Arena Ready sound a little twee and a bit worthy, then nothing could be further from the truth. In fact you're never quite sure just how much of Kemmis's tongue is in his cheek and just how much he's gently pushing and prodding the innocence.
Quite where Bob Kemmis 'fits in' is almost impossible to say with any degree of accuracy. Figured Out owes as much to Messrs Difford, Tilbrook and Costello as anything the other side of the pond, listening to it in isolation you'd swear that Kemmis was home-grown rather than Canadian and yet Let Down has the energetic optimism of Weezer.
Arena Ready proves that Bob Kemmis is splendidly comfortable with a song on his lips and a guitar at his fingertips, a natural born musician doing what comes naturally.
Michael Mee, March 2006
Rick's third solo record, appearing with even less press than the previous two (and they came out so long ago as to have been all but forgotten), is even more rocky and less folky than its predecessors. And the determinedly contemporary roots-rock setting proves the ideal garb for the wry and knowing tone of Rick's lyrics. These, quite naturally, express his personal philosophy, viewing the past through the dark glasses of the present in a confident and detached way that smacks of both the outsider and the insider; that stance is mirrored by the unpretentious monochrome cover photo. After the first track, which I find a mite undistinguished, Codes really gets in to its stride with the "whom-I-kiddin'?" ambivalence of More Than One Way and then Stepping Out, a sly riposte to the line-dancing craze, and Roots, a similarly sly dig at the vogue for - you guessed it. But Rick's worldview (which it's apparent is to an extent shared by other notable commentators in song like Steve Knightley), though containing elements with which we can all identify, is not exactly predictable; he's got a knack for expressing the obvious in imaginative yet plain-spoken language with images and impressions that linger in the mind, allied to solid melodies. And with a commendably tight production at the back of it all, for which Rick himself is again responsible, Codes just can't lose. Rick's own voice, electric and acoustic guitars and bass are backed by a small but significant crew - Dave Langdon shines on Hammond organ and pedal steel, Chris Brown storms through on drums, Steve Watkins contributes some forthright programming to several tracks, and there's even daughter Rose on backing vocals. It's not impossible to imagine the present-day Steeleye tackling one or two of the songs (Chariot or Roots, say), while a Dave Edmunds-style retro-rockin'-blues template provides the starting-point for the laconic Waiting For Tomorrow. Then, Myths is set to a primitive pounding beat and crisply atmospheric production that carries echoes of a comparably primitive (in rock terms) era (Joe Meek). Many other songs also cast Rick as the self-appointed examiner of modern man's place in the world and the scheme of things in relation to the values of time-honoured antiquity, and you just know his conclusions are right-on; I feel sure that Rick's musings will strike more than a chord with his listeners, and the supremely ballsy arrangements sure set the seal on those lyrics with a style and flair that hide Rick's almost casual expertise (in all of his chosen roles). In fact, the more I listen to the album the more I'm convinced of its near-classic status.
www.parkrecords.com
steeleye.freeservers.com/rickiv.htm
David Kidman
If her last album, A Handful Of Hurricanes, was, with its scouring sonic squalls and scalding blues, a bold challenge to folk fans seduced by her acoustic debut and the fact she's Maddy and Rick's daughter, then the follow up is even more so.
Her inherited heritage of darkling trad folk is still patently evident, but she's clearly been eating a lot of spiders in the interim, not to mention soaking up drone and Black Metal influences and feeding them into her already potent mix of experimental alt rock, jazz and blistering gothic operatics.
Produced and mixed by Chris Sheldon whose impressive CV includes the Foo Fighters and Biffy Clyro, she sets out her stall from the opening track, Dirty Glow which, accompanied by plucked strings and a plangent musical mood evocative of a medieval Eastern market, sees her voice prowl across the scales with sexually feral intent.
The itchy goblin-like, cauldron bubbling Nanny's World digs further into the skull, taking a trad folk heart and twisting it with an insidious chant beat and rasping guitar storms before fading away on an organ drone.
Bitter And Sweet, with its images of sexual violence, shrieks and swoops both vocally and musically, grinding intense guitar plastered over with devil's fiddle to conjure an unholy marriage of Brecht and Black Sabbath. Then there's doomy piano chords to open Flawless, a song that catches you offguard by then slipping into Kemp's frayed nerve yet tender soprano operatics as she sings of the beauty of imperfections.
There's a touch of Procol Harum circa A Salty Dog here, and the same air blows across the funereal waltzing Saturday Night with its despairing lines about being 'all lairy and lost' while the anthemic exaltation of Nature's Hymn is what Pachabel's Canon might be as envisaged as a Derek Jarman soundtrack.
Wholeness Sounds is probably the most conventional number, Kemp sounding like June Tabor at her deepest and darkest against a guitar figure out of Metallica's wardrobe. But then the home stretch plunges back into the maelstrom with Vacancies' delirious cocktail of Black Metal and demented Kate Bush and Milky White where, accompanied by just a drone, she sings as if calling the faithful to prayer from atop some Armenian mountain.
Surely owing a debt to Scandinavian Black Folk Metal, she closes on The Unholy, an intense, deliberate nine sonic minutes of soul-throbbing, head-expanding celebration of the untrammelled and enviable power of being 'young and foolish and wreckless (sic)'. Quite frankly, astonishing.
www.rosekemp.com
www.myspace.com/rosekemp
Mike Davies September 2008
A pivotal figure of the burgeoning Bristol DIY underground, Kemp is, of course, the 21 year old offspring of Steeleye Span's Maddy Prior and Rick Kemp. Four years ago she released her debut album, Grace, an acoustic set that conjured thoughts of Joni Mitchell, Dido and late Eva Cassidy. Since then she served time on the road with the Oyster Band, trading in her acoustic guitar for an electric. The results are evident now in her sophomore release.
Not that she's dumped the heritage. Much here also draws deep on English folk traditions. Sister Sleep is a wonderful unaccompanied number that shows off her pure dark voice while her musical roots are clearly screwed between the bones of numbers such as Little One, the dark acoustic guitar strum of Orange Juice, the near a capella multi voice tracked Tiny Flower and the harmonium wheezing Sing Our Last Goodbye, which could easily be lifted from the Richard Thompson songbook.
But, exploring ebb and flow dynamics, she also stirs in potent elements of pop, jazz and, on the sonic squall playout of Violence and the dissonant Dark Corners, the sort of scalding indie blues you'd expect from PJ Harvey or Cat Power, while Metal Bird transmutes from gentle breathy acoustic to full out noise. On Skin's Suite she even dives into experiental electro ambience.
Lyrically too, her songwriting muscles are developing further, filleting relationships with emotional rawness in and Sing Our Last Goodbye ('how come I feel like I'm dying but nothing hurts?') and Morning Music ('I lost my best songs in my sleep when I was thinking I can't wait to wake up next to you') , or exploring her own demons and fears with Sheer Terror ('I've already resigned my body to fate) and Dark Corners ("Oh how I miss my selves'). Even at its quietest moments, it's a seethingly intense, brooding album, not always easy to listen to, but one that certainly deserves to be heard.
Mike Davies March 2007
There can't be many disadvantages to being the daughter of two of folk-rock's giants. Growing up in a house that, one would imagine, was full of music and musicians and a bottomless well of advice must have made Rose Kemp a certainty for her own career in music. If, however, there IS a disadvantage to being the daughter of Steeleye Span's Rick Kemp and Maddy Prior, it will be that she finds Glance in the "folk" rack when she visits her local HMVirgin Biggastore. So let me, if this review makes any difference at all, redress that imbalance by stating, quite clearly, that this is NOT a folk album. Sure, it may have the odd whiff of a folk record in the writing credits (her dad co-wrote half of the dozen songs) and in the acoustic guitars, but that's as far as it goes.
There are electric guitars, slide guitars, Hammond organs and electrickery all over the place. The songs - all written or co-written by Rose K - deal with very modern issues (when did you last see a Trad Arr credit next to a song called anything remotely like Not on the fridge?). There are blues rhythms and jazz undertones. And, above all, it's a collection of songs by a young woman obviously determined to make her own way in this business we call the music. She's helped along the way by two principal players on Glance. In addition to producing the album, Tony Poole lent his programming, keyboard and orchestration skills to several of the tracks. Paul Gibbon, as well as co-writing three of the songs, enhances five with either guitar of Hammond B3, his playing on the latter lending depth and warmth whenever it put to use. This is particularly true on Sunsets, a song that's further lifted by soaring slide-guitar from Mick Clack. Lyrically, the song drips sadness as Kemp sings of a woman trapped in a loveless relationship: "You know, until the end it's gonna last forever". The woman singing Hush me down hasn't fared much better in the love stakes, as the object of her affection denigrates her at every turn, yet will not let her go: "Every time I run away you hunt me down". Individual echoes the reassurances given, countless times over, by proud parents to their confidence-lacking teenage daughters. Despite all their positive qualities, however, the youngsters wish they were: "Thin like all the other girls and pretty like all the other girls and smart like all the other girls".
Don't go getting the impression that Glance is all sadness and doubt, though. Songs like I won't run (which, although finding the woman coming from a bad relationship, is full of hope) and Smile (radiating warmth and sunshine) show that Kemp can see through the darkness. Across the whole album, Kemp's voice has a dark litheness and supple strength that shows she's learned a thing or two from Mum. But it's her own voice and one which belies the fact that she's still a teenager, making her debut solo album. Only very occasionally is a Prior inflection evident. The song which most brings Maddy to mind is the jazzy No-one which wouldn't have been out of place on her Woman in the Wings album of 1978. Sadly, it's Kemp's folks' heritage which is most likely to initially spark people's interest and the people aware of that heritage are going to be folk and folk-rock fans. No bad thing, of course, but young Rose would appeal to a wider audience, given the exposure.
Fred Hall
After the Carthys and Watersons, it makes a change to get an album by the scion of one of folk's other families. First introduced to the music world via mom's song Rose, the lyrics of which (Rose blows delicate kisses Then screams like an old fishwife She's sweet, she's sour, a smile and a glower that butters and cuts just like a knife) she may wish to forget, Kemp's parents are Maddy Prior and Rick Kemp with whom she's already recorded and toured. Still only 18, she started writing her own songs when she was 11 and while there's no indication of the sort of material she was trotting out then, anyone anticipating an album of trad folk in line with her heritage had better revise expectations.
It's certainly hewn from the face of acoustic English folk (evidently so on Boy Coloured Girl), but you'll hear more traces of Dido, Joni Mitchell, PJ Harvey, Joan Armatrading and the late Eva Cassidy than, say, the Copper Family. Husky and pure of dark voice, she stirs together a brew of blues, folk, jazz, pop and indie and delivers it with the assurance of someone who's been in the business three times her age. Smoothly produced by Tony Poole who certainly has as adept an ear for the relaxed croon mood of No-one as he does the shimmering dusk magic folk pop of the gorgeous opening Falls and the quasi madrigal colours of His Music and the delicate tracery of the title track. But it's certainly not a case of production masking any deficiencies in the artist, Kemp's not just a mesmerising singer but she's not half bad on guitar (listen to Conscience) and, despite the slightly 5th form angst lyrics of Individual, she writes a decent open-soul strong woman confessional of splintered relationships (Note On The Fridge, I Won't Run) and longing (Falls) too. It's an impressive debut, a little more depth and texture to her wordplay, and the next one could be even more so.
Mike Davies
Now this is a magnificent CD! Good ol' Keith - he's even provided his own ready-made sales pitch in his note to its final track (a glorious rendition of the Sheffield-pub-tradition carol Awake! Arise!): "cram-packed full of wholesome goodness… Ally-looyer!" And to me, that sums up the whole disc.
A fine and characterful singer with a rich timbre and well-developed sense of style, and one hell of a concertina player too, Keith's been around the scene for more years than many folkies' careers are made of, and he's always reliably delivered the goods and more, casting fresh light on well-travelled material and having an unerring percipience in ferreting out the pick of the less-heard-but-highly-deserving repertoire (songs and tunes both). And he's got a great sense of humour, as the title and cod-thematic presentation of this new CD, his third for WildGoose, self-evidently demonstrates. Naturally the Derbyshire connection continues to be important to Keith, as does his interest in, and aptitude for, maritime music (songs and shanties). These two strands of his career are well represented here, as is the sheer strength and level of his research into, and understanding of, the tradition – and indeed, of the art and practice of singing in general. For even when he's singing a deeply serious song, there's a sparkle in his eye. Which brings me to another of the many really positive features of this disc: the obvious pleasure that Keith and his numerous collaborators derive from the act of music-making. The whole feel of the CD is much as though Keith's just got some of his best mates round to the studio for a sing and a play; though they be talented mates, they don't show off, instead they're supporting rather than stifling Keith's own talent and personality. Take the harmony vocal contributions for a start. First there's Sylvia Needham, whose intuitive, imaginative and supportive harmonies contribute so much to this singing partnership. Of the six tracks on which Sylvia appears, three are among the disc's highlights for me: excellent duets with Keith including a fairly unusual take on Sally Free And Easy that's quite spine-tinglingly bitter and a truly beautiful rendition of Once I Courted A Damsel (originally from the singing of Joseph Taylor) that really exudes both singers' pure pleasure in its singing and their feeling for the text. It's interesting to compare Sylvia's creative (possibly more experimental?) approach to harmony with Lynne Heraud's closer-following, "parallelistic" method (as heard here in her entrancing duet with Keith on the whaling song Coast Of Peru). Further vocal support for Keith comes from Tom Brown and Doug Bailey (shanty-chorus – dare I call 'em "Kendrick's Men"?!), the four members of Derbyshire outfit Cross O' Th' Hands and Pat Turner, lending both weight and timbre to several tracks including the previously mentioned carol and a spirited hunting song.
Keith's choice of material is canny, for he always picks songs which are right for his own voice (therein lies a lesson for every singer!). In terms of real repertoire discoveries, though, there are two that stand out: firstly the rousing Sailor's Prayer (ey'up m'duck!), which I suspect will soon be doing the rounds of the best singing sessions. And secondly Mike O'Connor's wonderfully evocative Summon Up The Sun, a superb "Green Man" song that I was privileged to be granted to sing by Mike a few years back (I'd been wondering how long it would be before a professional singer got round to recording it!). As you can tell from the review thus far, the disc's menu is versatile and well balanced with plenty of contrast in mood, pace and texture. Keith's lively interest in, and extensive practical experience of, playing music for dance isn't forgotten too, for not only does that sensibility come across in facets such as the sprightly morris-inflected rhythms of Keith's accompaniment to Bold Riley, but also the disc includes two wonderfully cheering instrumental tracks, the first (Turkish Quickstep) combining two versions of an insidiously catchy little piece by the obscure 18th century composer Karl Kotzwara, and the second a winning juxtaposition of Roman Reel and Polka Chinoise. These are performed by a strong and full "scratch band" that includes Keith's fellow-sessioners Ralph Jordan, Alice Jones, Micjael Beeke and the aforementioned CoTH. Everybody seems to want to join in (and why not?!) on a fun rendition of Beulah Land, which rather conjures up visions of the whole ensemble joyously three-stepping through Disneyland (I jest of course…!). Finally, praise for the disc's attractive and enjoyable design, complete with Keith's wholly companionable notes which give an informed and thoroughly sensible perspective on the music and its performance. So to sum up: that obligatory namecheck for good old Bert notwithstanding, I'd say this disc gives the listener un-ALLloyd pleasure!
David Kidman, October 2006
Founder member of The Druids and the Ram's Bottom Band and erstwhile member of Muckram Wakes, Keith has in more recent years concentrated on duo work with Lynne Heraud and maritime repertoire with Three Sheets To The Wind, but it's good to see that he's found time to record a new solo release (only his third) to showcase his consummate talents as both singer and concertina player. Well Seasoned presents a programme of songs and (just a few) tunes which together reflect the turning of the seasons and the passing of the ritual calendar, ostensibly inspired by The Calendar Tour which Keith and Jo Freya had taken round the folk clubs and festivals during 1998/99 but not completely adhering to an accepted or readily identifiable calendarial sequence. The songs, many of which have a connection with Keith's native Derbyshire, form an enticing mix, largely traditional in origin (and as a bonus several of these are set to superb tunes of Keith's own making). There's a few wassail songs and carols (including one from the Sheffield tradition), a ballad (The Grey Cock) and two choices from the Copper Family Songbook. The relatively few contributions from the pantheon of modern songwriters provide highlights, and include the (still surprisingly under-sung) calling-on song Bring 'im On (from the pen of John Tams) and Graeme Miles' spectral Scarecrow (like Keith, I've been haunted for years by the redoubtable Robin Dale's stark and truly matchless performances of this song). A handful of the songs are performed unaccompanied, but this poses no problem for the listener since Keith's in excellent voice and he's enlisted a mouthwatering gallery of backing singers that's a real connoisseur's who's who if ever I saw one (Graeme Knights, Johnny Collins, Mick Ryan, Pete Harris, Mike Nicholson, Dick Stephens, Pete Watkinson, Lynne H, Pat Turner, Mary Humphreys - to name but half of the crew!) and musicians (including Ralph Jordan, Keith Holloway and Anahata). Although the emphasis is firmly on the squeezebox family for instrumental accompaniment, you're unlikely to feel starved of variety or interest, this being on account of the inspired choice of material, insightful arrangements and expert performances - although some judicious re-sequencing of tracks in a couple of places might have mad