Lady & Bird

Lady & Bird marks a radical departure from the usual genre populating my play list, but is all the more interesting for that. A kind of ethereal electro trip-hop fairytale, that is best understood in the closing “La Ballade Of Lady & Bird” – essentially a short libretto for two voices - Lady & Bird is a pseudonym for Karen Ann (Leidel) and Bardi Johannson, a Dutch/Icelandic duo. The latter is a big star in his native Iceland with his band Bang Gang, while the former is very well known in France, Holland and Germany as a singer/song writer.

Together, Lady & Bird come close to the delicate voiced whimsy of say Beth Gibbons. Aside from the cleverly chosen covers such as “Suicide Is Painless” (Mash), and Lou Reed’s “Stephanie Says”, the opening soaring cut-glass harmonies of “Do What I Do”, which sets out the notion of Lady & Bird as children in adult bodies, to the following “Shepherd's Song” complete with a Zappa style slowed down basso voice, suggests a celestial musical journey.
The human voice is used as an instrument, as on “The Morning After”, while “See Her Fall” tops all that goes before it on the back of a wonderful chorus.
By the time of the closing fairy tale, you’d have to be very impatient, not to have been caught up in this aural dream.

http://www.labels.tm.fr/fr/artiste.asp?artiste=LA186 (Please note this link is in French!)

Roger Chapman & The Shortlist

The latest in the conveyor belt that is Mystic records' Roger Chapman re-issue programme. In this case more IS good, as one of Britain's greatest ever R&B vocalists has over the last 12 months made a major incursion back into the recorded catalogue with a batch of fine re-issues and bonus tracks.

"Chappo" is a land mark album in that it was 25 years ago that Roger dissolved the powerful Streetwalkers and was finally able to emulate his best years with Family as a solo artist in his own right.
The "Chappo album is full of excellent new self penned efforts from "Midnite Child" and "Moth To A Fame" to the raucous "Who Pulled The Nite Down", and the gospel flavoured "Don't Give Up".
There's also a magnificent tour de force on Tim Hardin's "Hang On To A Dream" and a bonus couple of rockers.

"Live In Hamburg" remains one of the great live albums of our time, as Roger and The Shortlist power there way though a classic set in front of a wild German audience. Mel Collins blows up a storm, Geoff Whitehorn adds telling guitar licks, Tim Hinkley tinkles away on ivories and the peerless rhythm section of Stretch and Jerome Rimson nail it all down.

Chappo wails along with the helping hand of bv's Helen Hardy and Kathy O'Donoghue. All in all, this live album, which also includes a bonus track, is what Roger Chapman is all about, power, passion and a memorable show, all captured "Live in Hamburg"!

Big Dez

Big Dez is one hot rocking Latino style, Franco/Algerian, but Austin influenced blues combo. Big Dez himself, is in fact an Albert Collins style guitarist, and fine vocalist called Phil “Big Dez” Fernandez.

Dez is joined by Marc Schaeller on superb harp, Babal Pradal on cool, cool organ, and rolling piano, and the cooking unit is underpinned by a swinging rhythm section of Lamine Cuerfi on bass and Vincent Daune on drums.

And it is with swing that the album opens with a blazing self explanatory “Let’s Have Some Fun”. Dez’s Albert Collins style stoccato notes also punctuate “Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark”, which is the first of several funky work outs on which Dez’s big toned guitar is superb. There is more of the same on the impressive “Bad News”.

Fans of classic swing blues topped by a fine horn section will also appreciate “The Come Back”, and by the time of the closing gentle piano title track, Big Dez and his combo will have convinced you that they stand at the apex of the latest wave of impressive Texas style blues related bands. The fact that they hail from France and have soaked up the Austin sound so effortlessly says much about Big Dez’s intuitive feel for the music they play.

Boccigalupe & The Badboys

Hailing from New Jersey this band is everything you would want from a music scene that has spawned the very best in the States.

The album is packed with great songs, stunning playing, soulful singing and a feel born of over three decades of being on the boards. This is a real band with real members who cover the funky, soul, rock & roll end of things with great songs like their “Hot Blues” shuffle or the Boccigalupi written gently funky piece “Love On The Run” and the crucial groove of “Heartbreak”. In fact the title track sets the standard from which this excellent band barely waver.

The title is apt as after playing with the very best in the business, the band are now set to tour the UK; Please do not miss them!!! Below is some more info...

Asbury Park born-and bred keyboardist Tony Amato, a.k.a. "Boccigalupe," has been a member of almost every band that was part of the 1970’s Asbury Park music scene. Centered around the Stone Pony, the Fastlane, the Upstage Coffee House and other clubs, that same scene gave then-budding musicians like Bruce Springsteen, Southside Johnny, and later, Jon Bon Jovi a chance to hone their skills before rising to international prominence. But as thr album title suggests, Its Boccigalupe’s turn now!

Here are some audio clips:	Broadband (CD quality)	Dial-Up (AM radio)
It's My Turn Now
Karma

Alvin Lee

A strictly back to the roots project for Alvin, and in this case it’s his Rock& Roll roots. Back in Nottingham in the mid sixties Alvin was still an Elvis fan and a rock & roll fan in general.

Who better to share your musical lineage with than Elvis’s guitarist Scotty Moore – more of an inspiration than an actually contributor it has to be said - and rock steady Elvis drummer DJ Fontana, plus some top of the range players.

Double bass player Pete Pritchard is an inspiration throughout, kicking up a rockin’ beat, and offsetting Scotty’s two delicate shuffle contributions, and firing up the opening “Let’s Boogie.

Alvin even sounds a shade like the king himself on cooking “I’m Gonna Make It”, a number which as the liner notes explain, includes one of the longest outro’s in history, complete with 11 solos.

For the rest Alvin adopts a rockabilly feel on “Why Did You Do It”, and Tim Hinkley’s tinkling ivories decorate the country feel of “Something’s Gonna Get You”.

No surprises then, but a rock solid album that climaxes in a cleverly worked rock and roll version of Alvin’s finest moment on “Going Home”.

Various Artists

This album actually came out late last year, but has only just come to our attention, and it’s been well worth the wait.

Not over populated with big names of the blues, this Black & Tan sampler, is packed full of long standing live circuit dependables such as Byther Smith and Big George Jackson, but the sampler also offers a glimpse of the new generation, from the big band swing of Mike Anderson to the commercial bent of The Sunset Travellers.

Of the “old guard”, Byther stars on a fine reading of “Five Long Years, and the equally impressive passion of “So Many Roads”; These two cuts my be obvious fare, but are belted out with real passion and fine playing. Percy Strother delivers his trademark growl on a tough reading of “Take My Love”, and Big George Jackson and the swampy Roscoe Chenier both give you a glimpse of their larger than life characters on a brace of cracking blues.

Boo Boo Davis probably steals things with the hugely impressive snarl on “Can Man”, while Mike Anderson offers a glimpse of real potential on a clever big band work out which is a part blues biographical history, titled “My Love For The Blues”.

Various Artists

Bruce Iglaur’s Alligator records have been belting out the best blues for several decades, but in truth, along with the blues in general they have been struggling to break new ground with a brand new blues star, the likes of Cory Harris being an exception.

This album is therefore a timely (budget price) sampler that features many of the artists that originally set the label ahead of their contemporaries;

There are the obvious commercial big hitters like Johnny Winter, whose “Tin Pan Alley” shows him at the top of his game, and the soulful Delbert McLinton with the oft covered “Shaky ground”. But equally interesting are the efforts of Austin based blues man and bluesologist WC Clark, who hits the spot with “Midnight Hour Blues” and the larger than life Katy Webster and her old sparring partner Lonny Brooks for a swampy workout on “Those Lonely Lonely Nights”.

There’s so much to recommend here, suffice it to say that nearly all the cuts here are compelling enough to investigate the majority of the featured album’s artists!

Twin Dragons

It is a crying shame that this talented and likeable band all but played in front of a handful of people in the UK, in the main due to lack of publicity. A shame because they really rock, and once in their stride they play classy rock blues of the highest order.

Former Savoy Brown singing bass player Nathaniel Peterson is both a big man and a big talent, and together with the cutting edge guitar of Graham Oliver (Saxon) and fine Italian axe hero Fabio Cerrone, the Dragons take no prisoners; Nathaniel adds a few of his own blues rockers, notable on the mixed metaphors of “Crossfire” and “Feel Like Crying”. Together with a handful of blues staples and some fiery playing, this is heavy blues rock to tickle the palate.

Various Artists

A second month in the chart for this sampler as I wanted to make mention of the Imperial Crowns again, for their fine debut album, but ran out of space. Most of the bands are here are excellent and touring, so go and support the cause.

Always a sucker for a sampler since the heady early 70’s days of “Picnic” and “Fill Your Head Full Of Rock“ etc., this special 10th anniversary has a host of gold nuggets.

There’s plenty to choose from and the well known heavy weights like Walter Trout (“Jericho Road”) and swampy boogie man Omar Dykes (“Boogie Man”) and of course the posthumous effort from Luther Allison (“I Wanna Be With You”) set the standard.

But there’s much more. Michael Hill just about steals the prize with a mesmerising “Something In The Sky”, while Ian Parker adds to his growing reputation as a deep thinking song writer.

There are eleven tracks here including a reborn rocker in the shape of Aynsley Lister and plenty to tickle anyone’s palate.

Jeff Scott Soto

Best known as the powerful vocalist with Yngvie Malmsteen, this powerful Amercian vocalists has recently been seen in the US as a special guest of the SAS band (Spike Edney’s Allstars). In his own right Jeff is a fine rock vocalist with a tip of the hat to Classic Rock, full of big choruses and beefy guitar solos.

“Holding On” for example comes close to the John Wetton/Asia school of Classric Rock with a commercial undertow.

Similarly “Don’t Come Easy” is an FM friendly ballad, on a par with the following “Don’t Wanna Say Goodbye”.

Jeff even teams up with the equally powerful Gen Hughes for a climactic reading of Sly Stone’s “I Want To Take You Higher”.

In short, this is well constructed commercial FM rock, with only a few songs short of a full house.