Angie Stone ‘Unexpected’ (Stax/Universal) 3/5
Neo-soul songstress Angie Stone continues exploring the different hues of contemporary urban music on this latest album which is probably her most diverse thus far. The singer set her stall out on the excellent ‘Mahogany soul’ back in 2001 with the hit ‘Wish I didn’t miss you’ and the most impressive song here, the soul ballad ‘Maybe’ is very much in that vein and enables her voice to come to the fore. Funk is on the cards on the Sly Stone-influenced title track and on the heavy back beat of ‘I ain’t hearin’ U’ and Stone makes a valliant effort in this genre. Far less successful is the awful techno meets rap ‘Tell me’ which is best forgotten. Possibly Angie Stone would be better served investigating a contemporary take on jazzier repertoire, but clearly there was a deliberate attempt on this album to veer away from the neo-soul typfied by the likes of Erykah Badu. Pop-soul territory is attempted on ‘Free’ (not the Deniece Williams classic), but does not really suit her vocals. In parts the album is somewhat over-produced and when a singer such as Stone possesses so gorgeous and clear a tone, one wishes for a sparser accompaniment. Currently touring the UK, Angie Stone promises to be a good deal rootsier in live performance. Tim Stenhouse
07/03
Ralph Stanley and the Clinch Mountain Boys ‘Can’t you hear them ountains calling’ (Rounder) 4/5
Finally re-issued on CD after intially coming out on a limited release audio cassette back in 1981, this is an authentic slice of traditional bluegrass and if you think of the ‘O Brother’ soundtrack, these are the very same musicians who graced that album. The opener ‘Don’t wake me up’ sets the scene for what is to follow and a barnstormer of a song it is too. Ralph Stanley is in fine form, plucking banjo in the style of the great Flatt and Scruggs. Beautiful harmonies are a feature of this album and the lead vocals from Charlie Sizemore are simply flawless. The title track is a mid-tempo wonder with harmonies that no less than the Louvin Brothers would have been proud of. Something of a banjo and fiddle bonanza takes place on ‘Won’t you be mine’ while Ralph takes the lead vocals on ‘Little Willie’ and bears a remarkable ressemblance to a song on the ‘O Brother’ soundtrack. Ideally it would have been nice to include some bonus tracks, or even better another album since at twenty-eight minutes the CD is quantity light. However, with music this good and the experience so enjoyable, some things can be forgiven. Excellent inner sleeve notes with a fascinating tale of how such a minor release to begin with was finally more readily available to a larger public. Tim Stenhouse
06/03
Candice Monique and the Optics ‘In my soul’ (Freestyle) 3/5
Australian soul songstress Candice Monique has come up with an interesting album that poses a few questions as well as ticking some intriguing boxes. On the plus side she excels on the folksy feel to ‘Crazy crazy’ which sounds like something from the 1970s that either Joni Mitchell or Phoebe Snow might have come up with. The sensitive side to her repertoire is demonstrated to perfection on ‘My child’ where she is accompanied by the subtle use of guitar and keyboards before the number transforms suddenly into a mid-tempo handclapper. One would ideally like to hear more of the first half of the song material as illustrated on the mellow guitar strummed mid-tempo groover that is ‘For all time’. On the orchestrated beat of ‘Shave my head’ the voice once again is allowed to show its full potential. On the minus side her take on rap as on ‘Mama don’t know’ is a tad tame. Dancefloor action is very much in evidence on the excellent uptempo ‘Feel the vibe’. This is an album that halfway through develops into something altogether more interesting once the standard r ‘n’ b material is dispensed with. The question remains as to whether Monique has made up her mind if she wishes to be a soul singer with a folk sensibility, which is her natural and most impressive terrain, or whether she is content to be a dancefloor diva. Tim Stenhouse
05/03
Rigmor Gustaffson ‘Calling you’ 3/5 (Act)
Here is an intriguing mix. Bring together a Viennese clasical string quartet, albeit one with avant-garde musical tastes (an album devoted to the Mahavishnu Orchestra for example) and add a Swedish jazz vocalist. The result is quite a unique sounding album that takes on board an eclectic range of songs from Joni Mitchell to Burt Bacharach and even the traditional Swedish songbook. Not everything works, but mostly this is a highly entertaining listen. The pop song ‘Calling you’ receives wonderful accompaniment from strings that are in joyful mood and perhaps it is in the lighter repertoire that the combination of strings and vocals work best. Likewise the Richard Bona composition ‘Please don’t stop’ features plenty of tension on the strings and even fingersnaps which all adds atmosphere to proceedings. A pared down take on Stevie Wonder’s ‘If it’s magic’ allows Gustaffson’s voice to shine through. On the other hand the rather austere version of ‘Close to you’ is somewhat less successful and virtually unrecognisable from the original. It has to be stated that this album is of borderline interest to jazz fans, but ‘Calling you’ may well garner a wider audience in search of unusual takes on more familiar songs. Tim Stenhouse
04/03
Healer Selecta ‘Let’s get it started’ (Freestyle) 3/5
Musician and DJ aka Yvan Serrano has an eclectic musical brain and uses this to largely good effect on an album that takes in Afrobeat, reggae, soul and even surf guitar. The musical métissage works to perfection on ‘Melting pot’ with percussion courtesy of Snowboy and vocals reggae DJ style from Asher Storm wheareas on ‘Foundation of love’ it is Brazilian percussion meets Afrobeat with an underlying piano and guitar vamp that does the business. Equally impressive is the instrumental ‘Sweet lil’ thang of mine’ that really kicks over a repetitive Afrobeat riff with Latin soul thrown in for good measure. Perhaps surf guitar meets Latin and rock ‘n’ roll head on is a little too much for one song, but in ‘Rock-a-roll boogaloo’ one cannot but praise the attempt at fusing different sounds. For future projects Serrano needs to separate the sub-genres out more, focus instead on a few in greater detail and he will surely reap the rewards in turn. Tim Stenhouse
03/03
Various ‘Garrincha! Estrela Solitaria’ (Far Out) 4/5
For non-football fans Garrincha was to Brazilian football the David Beckham of his era with glamorous samba singer wife Elza Soares and genereally regarded as more gifted than even Pele, though his ultimate fate was closer to that of Paul Gascoigne. As part of a film to celebrate the trials and tribulations of Garrincha’s action packed life comes the movie soundtrack and Brazilian arranger and musician Leo Gandelman is to be congratulated on coming up with such a cornucopia of authentic Brazilian music that immediately transports one back to the late 1950s and early 1960s when Garrincha reigned supreme on the football pitch. Old school samba fans will be in their element on numbers such as the jazzy ‘Samba fantastica’ and ‘Apito no samba’ with big band arrangements that first graced the early recordings of Brazil’s greatest singer, Elis Regina. However, Gandelman displays great subtlety in his selection of music and this is illustrated on ‘Futebol na areina’ with Toots Thielmans style harmonica adding a decidely rootsy flavour to proceedings while delicious bossa hues are apparent on the flute and piano driven ‘Iraci’. More exotic grooves are on offer in the tantalising Brazilian take on the Cuban cha cha on ‘Chile’, presumably a reference to the 1962 World Cup in that country when Garrincha shined throughout, much to England’s chagrin.
It has to be said that in the second half of the CD there is a certain amount of soundtrack filler, though for sampling purposes that will prove to be a revelation to some. For those inclined to search more into the life of Garrincha (World Cup 2010 is after all less than one hundred days away!), look no further than the Ruy Castro biography which makes for highly informative reading. It is unsure at present whether the film will be released over here, though it may well coincide with the World Cup in South Africa. Tim Stenhouse
02/03
Roots Earth Collective and Soothsayers Horns ‘Red Earth Dub’ (Red earth) 3/5
London-based band Earth Dub are not strictly speaking an all-out reggae outfit, but rather prefer to fuse sounds such as Afrobeat, funk, jazz and reggae into a far bigger mix. They surfaced a few years back with 45s that featured top reggae vocalists of the calibre of Johnny Clarke and Michael Prophet. One of the instrumentals pays homage to the former and his classic ‘Peace in the ghetto’ song. Here it is taken at a more sedate tempo with subtle electric piano from jazzista Zoe Rahman and saxophone and trumpet solos. Bass heavy is one way to describe the echo-laden ‘Bad boys dub’ with a guitar riff that owes an undouted indebtedness to ‘Concrete jungle’. By far the most conventional 70s style dub is that found on ‘Hard time dub’ which is a take on the anthemic UK reggae hit from 1980. However, Afro flavours predominate on ‘Beinin city dub’ in the use of horns and drum beats while ‘We better dub’ emphasizes the jazzy side to the group with US hip hop influences thrown in for good measure. While this is not a hardcore dub release, it is an album that will appeal to the broader music fan who is looking for new grooves to get into and as such will prove to be a very enjoyable listen. Tim Stenhouse
01/03
Ali Farka Toure and Toumani Diabate ‘Ali and Toumani’ (World Circuit) 5/5
Although this release may come as a surprise to some arriving a good four years after the passing of the great Malian musician Ali Farka Toure, the new album and most definitely the final one is in fact a fully completed project that was recorded in its entirety after a snap decision by producer Nick Gold to lay down some music in a London studio during June 2005. It is neither a mish-mash of alternate takes, nor a quickly assembled selection of old pieces, but rather a wonderful follow up to the ‘In the heart of the moon’ recording, and is actually superior in several respects. As the extensive liner notes by both Toumani Diabate and Nick Gold indicate, Ali Farka Toure was seriously ill during the recording sessions, but overcame any pain felt to play some impassioned blues-inflected licks on guitar and in addition vocals on just two numbers. Accompanied by his son Vieux on percussion, Cuban Buena Vista Club bassist Cachaito Lopez, Toumani Diabate on kora and various background vocalists, Ali Farka Toure is in prime form here and the compositions bear all the hallmarks of a mastercraftsman who has far from lost his magic touch. The repertoire includes griot songs that are not ordinarily Toure’s musical terrain since they originate from the south of Mali. However, his sheer enthusiasm for the music overcomes any initial hesitance there might be over the material and this lends the album as a whole a more refined feel than its predecessor. A Cuban-influenced piece ‘Sabu Yerkoy’ is a prime candidate for the album’s outstanding track, but in truth there are several other worthy candidates. These include the traditional song that a much younger Ali heard as an acoustic guitar version by Keita Fodeba in Mali in 1956 and which goes by the title of ‘Sina Mory’. Lilting grooves permeate the album and it is the ability of Toure and Toumani to improvise over a catchy riff which truly takes one’s breath away. A majesterial album and one befitting a giant of a musician. Tim Stenhouse
27/02
Karin Krog ‘Jazz Moments’ (Meantime) 4/5
From relatively early on in Karin Krog’s career comes this 1966 album that oscillates between quartet and quintet settings. An all-star line up of Kenny Drew on piano, Nils-Henning Orsted Pederson on bass and Jon Christensen on drums are joined by a young Jan Garbarek on three pieces. The clarity of sound on the excellent remastering gives an immediacy to proceedings with both the bass and drums crisp and clear. On ‘I’ve got your number’ Krog sings in a quasi-whispered tone that has overtones of Janet Lawson, but is a good decade before Lawson’s arrival on the jazz scene in New York. Drew excels on the sedate ballad ‘Old folks’ with Pederson as trusty an accompanist as ever on a bass solo intro and soon about to explore piano trio territory as part of the Oscar Peterson band. There is a marked shift in gear part way through ‘All of you’ that would become a hallmark of the Krog approach to standards with Pederson and Drew duetting to good effect before Garbarek enters with a bop-influenced solo. As the inner sleeve notes testify, Karin Krog was just about to become famous to the jazz world and had won both the 1965 and 1966 Downbeat polls as a talent deserving of wider recognition. This recording is a fitting document to back up that early promise. Tim Stenhouse
20/02
Karin Krog and Dexter Gordon ‘Some other spring’ (Meantime) 5/5
From a 1970 recording session in Oslo comes a veritable gem of an album that captures vocalist Karin Krog and tenor saxophonist Dexter Gordon in imperious form. Key to the cohesive nature of the sound was the fact that three quarters of the regular Gordon rhythm section were on board and these included Kenny Drew on piano, Nils-Henning Orsted Pederson on bass as well as the excellent Espen Rud on drums and together they produce a mighty fine ensemble sound. The repertoire consists essentially of classic standards, but there is a surprise package in ‘Blue Eyes’, an original written by Krog on which Gordon is allowed space to really stretch out with an extended solo. With such an accomplished line up, the band are in the mood to manipulate standards to their specific needs and thus ‘Shiny stockings’ is taken at a tempo slightly above that which one might expect with Dexter swinging like crazy. On ‘Blue Monk’, with lyrics provided by Abbey Lincoln, Karin Krog provides an unusual laid back delivery which almost has the feel of a late night song after partaking in some stronger form of refreshment while Gordon gently wails in the background. Jobim’s ‘How insenstive receives a more pared down rendition with the rhythm section creating a suitably intimate ambience. A heartfelt tribute to Jimmy Scott on ‘I wish I knew’ is one of Krog’s finest moments on the entire album and pushes her to really deliver while the funky bassline to ‘Ode to Billy Joe’, not on the original album, is an immediate foot tapping dancer. As ever Gordon always reserves his best solos for either a ballad or a mid-tempo number, and on this album it is the latter on a gorgeous interpretation of ‘Everybody’s somebody’s fool’. This was unquestionably a musical environment that suited Karin Krog to a tee and the result is the most accomplished recording of her career and one that compares most favourably with just about any other vocalist of the era. With four bonus tracks and three alternate versions of original album numbers, this CD also represents excellent value for money. Tim Stenhouse
20/02