This week we review the latest albums Galactic, Pavement,
Anjelique Kidjo, Helen Van Der Linden, and Johnny Cash.
> Galactic. Ya-Ka-May. Anti-
Records.
4 stars (out of 5)
New Orleans jam band Galactic called on a host of the city's
established stars to contribute to this mishmash of
irresistible dance numbers, drawing heavily on "bounce"
hip-hop, jazz and funk styles.
Soul singer Irma Thomas, R&B figurehead Allen Toussaint
and the Rebirth Brass Band feature, as do a clutch of younger
New Orleans artists, but the band's energetic and highly
capable playing is the real attraction here.
The bottom end is fat and the top end is brassy, the two
essentials for any sweaty, swanky street party.
Single download: Heart Of Steel
For those who like: Boozoo Bajou, hip-hop, street
funk- Jeff Harford
> Pavement. Quarantine The Past. Matador
Records.
4 stars (out of 5)
This 23-track compilation from the band that throughout the
1990s worked mighty hard at making loose-and-lazy guitar-rock
gems is a great place to start for those wondering what all
the fuss was about.
The better-known, lightly weighted numbers are sprinkled
through the non-sequential running order to represent
Pavement's whimsical side (Gold Soundz, Cut Your Hair,
Shady Lane) but there are sufficient darker classics
included to reinforce the band's reputation as a master of
cryptic, lo-fi pop.
Arguably, this is not a true Best Of collection; more a
taster for those interested in further exploring the back
catalogue.
Single download: Gold Soundz
For those who like: 3Ds, lo-fi grunge pop- Jeff
Harford
> Anjelique Kidjo. Oyo. Razor and
Tie.
3 stars (out of 5)
African diva Anjelique Kidjo's reach is broad on this tribute
(of sorts) to her varied musical influences.
US-style soul/funk provides a solid base, Kidjo adding a
Yoruban twist to songs by Carlos Santana, Otis Redding, James
Brown and Aretha Franklin, but the more revelatory tracks
include African lullabies, a Sidney Bechet tune, even a
Bollywood number.
The most arresting moment is a gorgeous cello and
guitar-driven version of Bechet's Petite Fleur (sung
in French), but for flat-out kicks it's impossible to go past
Kelele, a full-on dance-floor workout featuring Ms
Kidjo at her most exuberant.
Single download: Kelele
For those who like: Miriam Makeba, Amadou and Mariam,
Soha
- Paul Mooney
> Helen Van Der Linden. Self-titled.
Independent.
3 stars (out of 5)
The debut EP from 2009 Gold Guitar winner Helen Van Der
Linden is a slick yet breezy collection of covers designed,
one suspects, as a calling card for the Gore singer's
professional ambitions.
Brandishing flawless intonation and a vocal quality not
dissimilar to Anne Murray's, Van Der Linden wanders over a
range of terrain, including Canadian Tami Neilsen's excellent
Cigarette, Jim Lauderdale's jazz-tinged Planet of
Love and Norah Jones' Lonestar.
Armed with her own material, this talented mum could roam
far.
Single download: Lonestar
For those who like: Norah Jones
- Shane Gilchrist
>
Johnny Cash. American VI: Ain't No Grave.
American.
5 stars (out of 5)
The sixth and final instalment in the collection of songs
that comprise Johnny Cash's American Recordings series is as
profound and intimate as the first, released in 1994.
According to producer Rick Rubin, Cash was weak, in pain and
desperately low following the death of his wife, June Carter
Cash, in May 2003.
Less than four months from his own death, Cash conveys plenty
of sorrow but ultimately remains uplifting over 10 songs,
from the title track, a traditional, to Bob Nolan's Cool
Water and closing number Aloha Oe.
Single download: For The Good Times (Kris
Kristofferson)
For those who like: Guess who
- Shane Gilchrist
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