Blind Boys Of Alabama – Down In New Orleans (Proper Records).

Four time Grammy Award winners The Blind Boys Of Alabama have recorded in New Orleans for the first time in their history, which stretches back almost 70 years. They fitted in so well with the New Orleans way of things that you won’t notice. Supporting them in their stint in the Big Easy were stellar figures such as Allen Toussaint and the trio that made up their backing band, pianist David Torkanowsky, bassist Roland Guerin and Shannon Powell on drums. Free At Last is Gospel with a smokey lead vocal over the funky groove. Make A Better World has good horns throughout this Gospel inflected Soul/R&B. This was written by Earl King, one of New Orleans’ favourite sons and it is surprising that it is the horns and the laid back sax in particular, that are to the forefront rather than the guitar which King was so famous for. Mahalia Jackson’s How I Got Over is slow and soulful with a strong lead vocal. The harmonies are as you would expect, oh yes! You Got To Move is an uptempo version of the well known song. Across The Bridge has a New Orleans feel to it and You Better Mind is Gospel shouting par excellence.

Down By The Riverside is the classic song and they give it their own inimitable twist. It’s only piano and voice for If I Could Help Somebody but this Mahalia Jackson song is one of the most powerful tracks on offer. Uncloudy Day has the aid of The Preservation Hall Jazz Band and smacks of New Orleans. A Prayer is soulful and I’ve Got A Home is Gospel with a sound beat. The gravely vocal sets the whole thing off. They close with I’ll Fly Away on which a military snare leads into New Orleans jazz.

They have been about in various guises for nearly 70 years – that says it all.

http://www.proper-records.co.uk/

David Blue.

Crosby Loggins And The Light – We All Go Home (Provogue).

Eldest son of Grammy winning legend Kenny Loggins, Crosby Loggins and his band The Light release their debut album on Provogue Records. When your father’s house guests include Jackson Browne, Graham Nash and Michael McDonald then there is bound to be a little magic that rubs off on you. Crosby has captured some of that magic during co-production with Jesse Siebenburg, a multi-instrumentalist with his own famous father, Supertramp drummer, Bob Siebenberg. Good Enough showcases a whispery voice fronting melodic acoustic rock. Always Catching Up, written with his sister Bella, is very familiar sounding, sometimes the sign of a good song, and the inclusion of Paul Cartwright’s fiddle and Siebenberg on pedal steel gives a modern country feel. Rocks Into Sand is a country crossover and confirms his status as being very different to Provogue’s other artists. There’s a jazzy fiddle intro to Man In The Middle. This is very sophisticated and finally gives us a guitar break. Military drums from Jared Pope herald March On, America, political soft rock and very mechanical with a wicked electric violin solo from Paul Cartwright.

Written by Siebenberg, Here She Comes is a pleasant nu-country ballad that may remind you of Marshall Crenshaw and Wanna Be You is a very slick funky and soulful offering with vocals akin to those of Savage Garden. Radio Song is modern country and Angel Of Mercy is an impassioned country ballad that is surprisingly good for one from this genre. Loggins certainly has the type of voice for this. Couldn’t Save Me is another from the higher echelons of the genre but it doesn’t carry enough of an edge for me. The title track is one of the better songs on the album and this sultry, piano-led contribution builds up well and shows that he can construct a song brilliantly. It’s even more impressive when you find out that he wrote it when he was 18. Same Old Song (La La La) is old style folk/country much akin to James Taylor. He throws in a Celtic influence with the fiddle but the whole effect is spoiled by the inclusion of the La La La excerpt. Apart from this, it is a top song.

As I’ve already said, Crosby Loggins is very different to the rest of Provogue’s roster. Then again, variety is the spice of life.

http://www.crosbyloggins.com/
http://www.provoguerecords.com/

David Blue.

IAMX – The Alternative (No Carbon Records).

IAMX is the solo project of Sneaker Pimps front man Chris Corner and The Alternative is his second album. President highlights his excellent voice immediately. This is a big production song and could quite easily be from a stage musical. The eponymous title track is top class electronic pop that deserves chart success for him. Nightlife is darker and has a pounding bass line and that extra little bit of class. Lulled By Numbers shows how expressive a singer he can be and when backed by such evocative music it makes a winning combination – electronica of the highest class. His future may lie in musicals as I have stated above but that future may also lie in films if Songs Of Imaginary Beings is anything to go by. This is breathtaking and deserves to be heard by a wider audience. There is some interesting imagery used on The Negative Sex and he finally rocks it up when he reaches the chorus. Bring Me Back A Dog is all about wanting to be a dog in the next life – each to his own, I suppose. Anyway, the song is stuttering and magnificent! S.H.E. has a soaring vocal and the best you can do is think about him as a thinking man’s Mika. Spit It Out has a throbbing rhythm and the voice of an angel (fallen perhaps) which makes it an epic standout. His expressive skills shine out again on After Every Party I Die and his soaring vocal returns to pierce your soul on the epic This Will Make You Love Again. He finishes with a string version of Spit It Out. It is such an evocative piece of music that transfers so well onto strings and it shouldn’t really be too much of a surprise.

Given the right exposure IAMX might well be the big thing of 2008.

http://www.iamx.co.uk/
http://www.61seconds.de/

David Blue.

Napoleon IIIrd – In Debt To (Brainlove Records).

Leeds based Napoleon IIIrd opens with the experimental Introduction To A before leaping into This Is My Call To Arms with its soaring chorus. I detect Julian Cope influences here but then again, I may be completely looking in the wrong direction. Defibrillator has him in the stance of a modern day Paul Weller – that’s how good he can be. However, he can be totally off the wall too as The Conformist Takes It All proves. This is strange stuff with too many things going on at the same time. Beck and Divine Comedy fans will love Guys In Bands and there’s a bit of The Clangers at the end for all the youngsters! Anti-Patria is more conformist and, as a result, is one of the best songs on the album. Hit Schmooze For Me will work its way into your brain and you will be whistling it by the end. Everyone with associate themselves to the line ‘This is not my life, it’s just my day job’. Introduction To B is another experimental instrumental and completely unnecessary. Kate’s Song is acoustic, sparse and almost childlike and What We Have Here Is Ending is almost prophetic as this electronica offering is repetitive almost to the point of undervaluing the song. The Casual Terrorist Vs The International Board Of Wishing is an interesting title and enables him to continue evading a pigeonhole. The only comparison is one of very 80s electro-pop. My Superiority Complex has a Laurie Anderson (O Superman) beginning and some mockney vocals. He ends with One Song Before Bed To Three Four and he rocks things up a bit and goes all grungy.

An album that you will never be able to second guess and that is a talent in itself.

http://www.blogger.com/www.brainloverecords.com
www.myspace.com/boney3

David Blue.

Inward Eye – Shame (Columbia).

Big things are expected of this Winnipeg trio and on this form I believe that success will come sooner rather than later. It sounds a bit like School’s Out in the lead up to the chorus but it has a catch of its own that places it firmly in the centre of classic and punk rock. The lead singer, Dave, has a breathless vocal delivery that may well become the bands signature.

www.myspace.com/inwardeye

David Blue.

The Ghost Frequency – Never Before Have I Seen A Man Alive That Looks So Exactly Like A Skeleton (City Rockers).

And the award for this year’s longest title goes to…. This must be one of the wordiest titles ever but The Ghost Frequency’s energetic punk approach will soon have you forgetting their verbosity. On the evidence of this, there are no reasons as to why they can’t scale the metal/indie charts. The single is backed with another concise title – We Built These Walls And Watched You Howl As You Knocked Them Down. This is more hardcore than the main track and best left until they have secured their fan base.

www.myspace.com/theghostfrequency

David Blue

Simon Mayor Quintet – Mandolinquents (Acoustics Records).

This is the original line-up of the band that now call themselves The Mandolinquents and this is a re-release of their debut album from 1997. The album shows the prodigious talents that The Mandolinquents have and what they have built on over the last 10 years or so. I cannot fault the playing on Dvorak’s Slavonic Dance No 8; they are maestros of their instruments. Tchaikovsky’s Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy loses a bit of its impact perhaps but the dexterity on Eine Kleine Nachtmusik is amazing. It is worth noting that some of the band were wondering what to wear when performing the former – look out for concerts in your area! Plum Blossoms In The Snow is a traditional tune given the Mandolinquents treatment and more than meets the mark with Mayor on mandolin and Gerald Garcia on classical guitar. Mayor and friends play all kinds of music and Beat Out That Rhythm On A Drum from Carmen Jones is a venture into opera. Hilary James’ voice is not all that exceptional on this but we should not be too surprised as we are not talking about an operatic performance. However, the music is as infectious as the original. Down By The Sally Gardens is a traditional Irish folk tune. Played on guitar and mandola, it also has good harmony and the melody suits James’ voice far better. The addition of Chris Leslie on violin lends an air of authenticity.

Amongst this selection of classical and traditional tunes it is heartening to hear an original and Boston Ballyhoo is that original. Although short, it does allow Mayor, Richard Collins and Hilary James to display the full range of their talents. They jazz up the Irving Berlin oldie, Cheek To Cheek, although it does come out a bit Home Counties. There are flurries and runs aplenty on Russian Rag – good fun. It’s back to the classical mode for Ravel’s peaceful Pavane Pour Une Infante Defunte. This, I feel, is a wrong choice as it doesn’t really transfer over to mandolin very well. They raid the Irving Berlin archives again for The Piccolino. The playing is still superb but I don’t really know what to make of this – I’m confused! The traditional American folk song He’s Gone Away resumes normal transmission and Apanhei Te is a tune played at breakneck speed. Written by Ernesto Nazareth, the King of Choro, which is a Brazilian street music, the speed is produced by the Cavaquinho, a type of small guitar that is designed to play at a rate of knots. This allows it to be transferred to mandolins very easily. They close with A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square, a well known song that Simon Mayor plays solo on the mandola and treats it in a sympathetic manner.

http://www.acousticsrecords.co.uk/

David Blue.

Deering & Down – Break This Record (Diamond D Records).

This is Deering & Down’s third album and having based themselves in Tennessee since 2004, it has a flavour of that states most famous town, Memphis. They have amassed themselves a formidable band whose members include Rick Steff on keyboards (ex- Cat Power, George Thorogood, Gin Blossoms) and drummer Kurt Ruleman (ex-San The Sham). I was certainly taken aback by Canadian vocalist Lahna Deering’ squeaky tones on the opening track, Finally Found The One. It turns gritty rather than squeaky the further into the song we go. It has a rag tag homemade sound and doesn’t really reach its initial promise. Whatcha’ Thinkin’ Of has a certain punk feel to it. Her voice is better suited here but it does get a bit of getting used to. There’s a better base to this. Can’t Wait is mid paced rock and Richard Of Los Angeles is a rock ballad with the obligatory big chorus. Unfortunately, the stadium rock guitar solo from Rev Neil Down doesn’t quite work.

Sad Love is slow and plodding and Wonder Who’s Callin’ doesn’t offer anything too exciting either. Velvet On Stone is a slow country ballad and the singer has a Dolly Parton tone to her voce but don’t be fooled by the childlike quality, there is a lot of power in there. Sugar is a sleazy, grungy blues that works well and Cow Cow Girl is a fractured alt.country that is one of the best songs on the album. Deering turns in a Stevie Nicks style vocal on Oh So Good before giving us another slow song in the form of Abbey. Perhaps they have recorded too many slower songs for this album than is absolutely necessary. There is nothing wrong with this one but it is just not exceptional. Bessie’s Big Way is the closing track and this is unashamed country although I originally thought that it was going to be about Bessie Smith. It’s a guitar instrumental with enough small (deliberate) errors to give it that homemade feel.

This may be a slow burner and there are certainly enough plus marks to give hope for the future.

http://www.deeringanddown.com/

David Blue.

Kat Flint – Go Faster Stripes (Idioglossia Records).

I’ve just come across this single and although it was released a few weeks ago I feel it necessary to draw it to your attention. Scottish songstress Kat Flint has released Go Faster Stripes, a tale of life from the heart from her forthcoming album, Dirty Birds. It is an uncomplicated story of things that can, and do, go wrong and has a homemade feel. It is backed with Joseph, a look at the Nativity from Mary’s perspective that highlights Flint’s way of looking at life. The gentle acoustic sounds allow you to take in the meaning of the song. Consider my appetite whetted for the album.

www.myspace.com/katflint

David Blue.

Photograph: R. James Feaver

Deadstring Brothers, Miyagi & Culann @ King Tut’s, Glasgow 8th Feb 2008.

Three bands for the price of one certainly whetted my appetite although the quality of support acts is usually a hit or miss affair. I had no need to fret, for when young Scots band Culann took to the stage I knew that quality was not going to be an issue. They wowed the crowd with their blend of prog rock and certainly have the makings of a couple of epic songs in Bogus Conclusions and The Journey Starts. One thing though – I’m just getting my fillings back into place after the bass player rattled them out of my mouth! I’m looking forward to their debut album, whenever it gets released. Next up were Edinburgh’s Miyagi and they built on the good start provided by Culann. Miyagi are a different kettle of fish however and their funky Byrds style harmonies were the perfect foil for Culann’s heavier sounds. They showed their adaptability by swapping guitar and vocal duties amongst guitarist Euan Bruce (young Ted Danson look-alike), saxophonist Ally McNaught and bass player Alex ‘Rasta’ Ross. Drummer Andy Duncan and Claire Schiavone also chipped in with vocal harmonies and Duncan drums were the focal point of the performance.

Detroit based headliners, Deadstring Brothers, were eagerly anticipated by the knowledgeable Glasgow crowd and when they burst into life with Masha Marjieh in full voice, the crowd went wild. The set was peppered with songs from their critically acclaimed 2006 album Starving Winter Report and their latest release, Silver Mountain. Sharing the lead vocal was main man Kurt Marschke and his easy going interaction with the crowd went down well although he shouldn’t really have tempted fate by stating that he hadn’t had any whisky thrown at him yet! Fortunately, no-one took him up on that. Guitarist Spencer Cullum is, in my opinion, a star in the making and adds that touch of extra class to Marschke’s excellent alt.country songs. The rest of the band is Spencer’s brother Jeff, on bass, E. Travis Harrett on drums and keyboard wizard Pat Kenneally. If you have their albums then go out and see them live as the albums, excellent as they are, do not convey the power of their live performance. Highlights for me were Lights Go Out, Moonlight Only Knows and Meet Me Down At Heavy Load but it is unfair to pick out any songs for particular attention as there wasn’t a bad one in the whole set.

http://www.deadstringbrothers.com/

David Blue.

Doug Jay—Under The Radar (Crosscut Records).

It’s two years since Doug Jay’s last album, his debut for Crosscut, Jackpot and in the intervening period he has continued to hone the Blue Jays, his European touring band since 2000. The Washington DC singer and harmonica player has an impressive CV that includes gigging with Muddy Waters, BB King, Sunnyland Slim and Bruce Springsteen. The Blue Jays draw their music from many different sources and the eponymous opener is an R&B with Jay’s craggy vocal and accentuated guitar from Jimmy Reiter, touted as one of the finest young blues guitarist around these days. It’s Love is an upbeat rocker with the Reiter’s obligatory snappy guitar and great harp from Jay. Temptation harks back to the hey day of 60s Rock n Roll and has excellent harmony from Reiter. Show Me The Way To Love You stays in the R&R field albeit on the blues fringes. Without Love is slow and uninspiring and Don’t Want Your Love No More seems entrenched in the past. Losing Hand is a down and dirty blues and Lowell Fulson’s Love Grows Cold is an R&R/ blues crossover with the horn section adding welcome depth. Good guitar solo from Reiter and it really sways along.

Poor Me is a slow Chicago blues with top class playing, harp from Jay & piano from Christian Rannenburg and a good vocal too – he can turn his hand to this if he wants to. Up-tempo R&B Poor Me has good harmonies and the band seems to be warming to their task. It’s Easy When You Know How stays with R&B, the highlight of which is Jay’s screeching harp. What A Man Can Do is firmly in the style of Robert Cray – no bad thing, of course and Call Me Back To You is a barrelhouse piano and country blues, played at walking pace. There’s a little whistling from Reiter at the end but thankfully no yodelling. They round things off with Boom-A-Rang, an R&B instrumental guitar thingy. It’s well played but a bit dated methinks.

http://www.dougjay.com/
http://www.crosscut.de/

David Blue.

Last Train Home—Last Good Kiss (CoraZong Records).

For a band that started as a part time outfit 10 years ago, Washington DC band Last Train Home has come a long way. This is their fifth album and will surely be their breakthrough record. The albums title comes from a James Crumley novel and the eponymous title track is a very strong, bouncy Americana/Country opener. The pace slows for Flood but the added grit more than makes up for the lack of speed and I feel that this is a real songwriter’s song. The Country flecked Anywhere But Here follows with former Jayhawks keyboard player Jen Gunderman excelling on electric piano. Vocalist Eric Brace‘s velvet voice is best heard on Can’t Come Undone. This plods along and shows now tight a band they are. Go Now is slow and piano-led although the band say that they started it out as a Pogues style waltz. This version is lovely and poignant and I’m glad they changed their minds. A remembrance of Brace’s late father, May continues the sedate pace in its classic folk/country style – just drift away on his voice. You has contemporary funky sounds and a big, powerful chorus. It’s a love song, a rare thing on a Last Train Home album.

Just as I’ve said love songs are rare, here comes another. I’m Coming Home is classic Americana and it is so easy to listen to them. Kissing Booth is more of the same and they are becoming as familiar as an old pullover. I will go back to this again and again. Marking Time has another of their trademark powerful chorus’s and the last official track, The Color Blue, has a retro feel with Claire Small’s backing and Kevin Cordt’s trumpet. Three bonus tracks begin with Loves Farewell, a traditional roots song given the Last Train Home treatment. Bob Dylan and Levon Helm’s This Wheels On Fire is probably best remembered as the Julie Driscoll & Brian Auger version but Last Train Home’s Americana treatment works fantastically well. Alice Despard gets her chance on vocals and Steve Wedemeyer’s ballsy guitar rounds everything off. The last track is a radio edit of Last Good Kiss and this shorter version loses none of the impact of the opening track. Last Train Home deserves a hit.

http://www.corazong.com/
http://www.lasttrainhome.com/

David Blue.

Krista Detor – Cover Their Eyes (CoraZong Records).

Krista Detor’s second album, Mudshow, brought her to the attention of a wider audience and she hopes to build on that with her latest offering, Cover Their Eyes. She is a big fan of Leonard Cohen and although his influence can be heard, it is not to say that she has the same perceived gloominess surrounding her music. Pretty Horses Run is a gentle and bouncy opener that cements her distinctive style. Marlene In A Movie is much the same with the addition of a powerful chorus. Krista doesn’t do high speed songs and is much more at home with slow ballads in the vein of The World Is Water, a piano driven beauty with lovely understated harmony and cello from Anne Hurley. Go Ahead And Wait manages to sound both up and downbeat at the same time – a great skill to have. Robert Johnson Has Left Mississippi is not a blues as you may have expected and despite its rousing chorus, is slightly confusing. Only in the USA could songs such as the title track flourish. By that I mean that there is enough diversity to enable niche artists such as Krista Detor to grow as a songwriter. The song itself is quite simply stunning.

Her laconic delivery is exemplified on Anaemic Moon and if a song could describe her style, it would be this one. The torch song, Dinner With Chantel, is a perfect night time companion. Just snuggle up with a glass of red wine and chill. Icarus, like many others, allows the listener time to think. It is not an aural assault but rather more an intensive cerebral one. Waterline is about as pacy as she gets with Dave Weber’s acoustic guitar and Pete Wilhoit on drums adding impetus to this contemporary country offering. How Will I Know returns to the gentle pace that I more associate her with. Modern Americana is the best that I can use to describe her. Lay Him Down, a duet with Grammy award winner Carrie Newcomer, has an old style military feel, combined with old time country and is a fine finish to a highly professional album.

http://www.kristadetor.com/
http://www.corazong.com/

David Blue.