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Paul Carrack
Soul Shadows
One of the great singers in popular
music, Carrack first made his
mark as lead vocalist on
How
Long
(Ace),
Tempted
(Squeeze),
and
The Living Years
(Mike &The
Mechanics). In between touring
and recording with, among others,
Roger Waters, Eric Clapton, Elton
John, and B.B. King, he's released
18 solo albums including this one
on which he plays most of the
instruments and wrote all the
songs.
Some explore the shifting
dynamics in relationships,
Bet Your
Life
relates to gambling addiction,
and
Soul Legacy
with its big
band sound name checks James
Brown, Sam & Dave, Levi Stubbs,
and Jackie Wilson.
(Planet/MGM) Billy Pinnell
Sindrome
Resurrection: The
Complete Collection
Sindrome remain one of the death/
thrash metal scene’s greatest
bands. Having released only
two demos –
Into The Halls Of
Extermination
(1987) and
Vault Of
Inner Conscience
(1991), greater
success eluded them despite
being an underground favourite
during the era. After decades
of silence, countless bootlegs
and having rejected offers for an
official release, the day has finally
arrived for Sindrome to once
again be recognised for their art.
Resurrection
doesn’t disappoint in
the slightest, with a bonus track
from the
…Extermination
demo
sessions and an entire live show
from 1988 adding to the already
ear-watering package. Fans of
Slayer, Sepultura, and Dark Angel
must pick this up.
(EMI/Century Media) Simon Lukic
Various
God Don't Never
Change: The Songs of Blind
Willie Johnson
Blind Willie Johnson (1897-1945)
was a gospel blues singer and
guitarist. While most of his songs
had a religious theme, he drew
from both sacred and blues
traditions. Johnson made only 30
recordings, characterised by his
riveting singing and fingerpicking,
slide guitar style that would
influence musicians for years to
come. The Blind Boys Of Alabama,
Cowboy Junkies, Derek Trucks &
Susan Tedeschi, Sinead O'Connor,
Maria McKee, Luther Dickinson,
Lucinda Williams (
Nobody's Fault
But Mine
), Rickie Lee Jones and
TomWaits (
The Soul Of A Man
)
offer inspired interpretations of
the iconic artist's most seminal
material.
(Only Blues) Billy Pinnell
Babymetal
Metal Resistance
Despite what many believe to
be the case, the heavy metal
genre is the most diverse and
accepting of all musical styles,
even if it’s a manufactured entity
like Babymetal. Like all things
Japanese, Babymetal is quirky and
eccentric, but what else would you
expect from an act that labels their
music "kawaii metal", as in “cute
metal”? The biggest hurdle for
many will be their ability to adjust
to the sickly sweet J-Pop vocals of
Su-Metal, Yuimetal and Moametal.
The music itself is a mixture
of the recognised aspects of
DragonForce, Meshuggah and in
some instances, Prodigy, making
for an interesting experience.
(CookingVinyl/Sony) Simon Lukic
17
REVIEWS
MUSIC
MUSIC
Various
The Glory Days of Aussie Pub Rock
Turn it up to 11. Get close to the speakers. Imagine
your shoes are sticking to the floor. Have a drink
in one hand as you thrust your other hand in the
air. Welcome to this four-CD collection that will
have you recalling drunken pashes, sweat, smoke,
hangovers and great music. According to Cold
Chisel’s manager Rod Willis, the glory days of pub
rock were 1979 to 1983, when bands such as Chisel, The Angels and the
Oils were filling beer barns across the nation. Rockin’ the suburbs. As Paul
Kelly said, “Small venues were my university,” and Peter Garrett explains
that “every Australian band comes from a different pub, and it’s there
they define what they’re about.” It was a tough environment; you had to
be good and you had to rock, though bands such as Models, Mondo Rock
and Mental As Anything managed to push the pop boundaries. It was a
male-dominated scene, though this 91-track (!) compilation features a
surprising number of female-fronted acts, including Divinyls, Stiletto, The
Numbers, Wendy and the Rocketts, XL Capris and Baby Animals. And it
also showcases some lesser-known acts such as The Elks, The Boys and
Texas. Death to disco, here’s to Volume Two!
(Festival/Warner) Jeff Jenkins
Teddy Thompson & Kelly
Jones
Little Windows
A few years ago Teddy Thompson
and Kelly Jones discovered
they had something special
while singing a George Jones
song together on stage in LA.
Thompson – the son of folk
singers Richard and Linda
Thompson, his background quite
surrounded in music – and Jones,
quite unknown to me but herself
a solo performer, set out to write
and record an album of timeless
country songs. Harking back to the
sounds you’d find in country duets
of the '50s and '60s, their poppy,
sweet and magical harmony
singing conjures up images of
Emmylou and Gram hanging out
with the Everly Brothers.
(CookingVinyl) Denise Hylands
Bill Chambers
Cold Trail
Bill Chambers is not only Kasey’s
dad and guitar player but also an
incredible artist in his own right:
singer, songwriter, storyteller,
producer and one hell of a guitar
player. On his fourth studio album
Chambers plays it honky-tonk,
hillbilly and rockin’ all the while
telling his road-worn tales.
Songs of highways travelled,
lost loves and hard times sung
in his distinctive whiskey soaked
growl keep true to his respect for
real country, folk and blues. He
is the real deal – Australia’s very
own John Prine – and should be
recognised as one of our best.
(Whitewater Music/Check Label
Services) Denise Hylands