STACK #151 May 2017

REVIEWS MUSIC

Ruthie Foster Joy Comes Back

Rory Block Keepin' Outta Trouble Acclaimed acoustic blues guitarist/ singer/songwriter Rory Block recently released the sixth in her Mentor Series, in which she performs the songs of country and blues legends whose music has changed her life. On this album she pays tribute to Bukka White, remembered as a player of National Resonator distinctive guitar technique (she uses a socket wrench as a slide) has enabled her to tap into the spirit of timeless songs such as Bukka's Parchman Farm Blues , and Fixin' To Die Blues – songs that inspired her to include some guitars, who died in 1977. Since the age of 15, Rory's

Two decades into her recording career, singer/songwriter/musician Ruthie Foster continues to push the boundaries of gospel-based blues forms with this eclectic release. Her gospel roots are represented by Sean Staples' Joy Comes Back and embellished by Derek Trucks' slide guitar, and there's a cover of Mississippi John Hurt's Richland Woman Blues , albeit with a bluegrass arrangement. But Ruthie has also included a soul ballad, a Motown cover (The Four Tops' hit Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever) , the self-written Open Sky , and a soulful, harmonica-driven take on Black Sabbath's anti-war song War Pigs . (Planet/MGM) Billy Pinnell

Tim Rogers An Actor Repairs Sex? Drugs? Sometimes all you want is a great story. They don’t make ’em like Tim Rogers anymore; with “the spirit of Ollie Reed” he’s the last of the great rock stars, and there can be no denying he’s a great artist as well. An Actor Repairs is a concept album of sorts, about an ageing actor

who decides to retire. But maybe the record reveals more about Rogers, a true rock ’n’ roll survivor. “They can scratch,” he declares, defiantly, “I never bleed.” Then he adds, “It’s said I have no discipline, yeah, well, discipline’s for creeps.” It’s self-deprecating (“I’ve written bullsh-t songs”), with revealing, wry rhymes. Every song is perfectly realised – props to producer Shane O’Mara – and the instrumentation is so vivid, all you have to do is close your eyes and you can see the story come to life. It’s more stage show than rock record, though the final track salutes Springsteen and Chuck Berry, as well as Rogers’ own body of work. “There ain’t nothin’ better,” he sings, “than singin’ about cars and girls.” It’s a flippant coda to an album that’s about a whole lot more. An Actor Repairs is a masterwork. (FOUR|FOUR/ABC) Jeff Jenkins

of her own for this release. (Only Blues) Billy Pinnell

Sheryl Crow Be Myself

Xavier Rudd Live In The Netherlands Sexiest Australian Vegetarian. Environmental activist. Campaigner for Indigenous rights. Xavier Rudd is all of those things. But most of all, he’s a potent performer, and this live set – recorded on the final night of his 2016 European tour – shows him in his natural habitat. This is a big album in more ways than one, with 18 tracks and nearly two hours of music, spread over two CDs or triple vinyl. “Feel the love vibration,” Rudd urges the obliging crowd. Live albums don’t have a lot of currency these days, but this is a great live album, with a compelling artist in complete command. A career highpoint. (Salt X Records/Universal) Jeff Jenkins

Jade Jackson Gilded

John Moreland Big Bad Luv

Reportedly written after listening back to her early

Jade Jackson is being hailed as a young country artist to watch, and for good reason. Having played guitar since she was 13, Jackson quickly attracted a strong fan base and wrote over 300 songs before she graduated. It was a Social Distortion concert and the lasting impression Mike Ness left on her that have inspired her to pursue a musical career. As it happened, one thing led to another and Ness ended up mentoring Jackson and producing this, her debut album. He’s added some punk rock attitude while being truly respectful to Jackson’s old soul country style, reflecting her inspirations fromThe

If you like your country true, honest and heartfelt, John Moreland could be your guy. Fronting hardcore and punk bands before being lured to the lyricism of country and folk music, it was Steve Earle’s song Rich Man’s War that struck a powerful chord with Moreland, and along with the influences of Guy Clark and Townes Van Zandt, prompted him to pursue the music he now makes. Predominately a self- produced and self-promoted artist, this is Moreland's fourth solo album with a crew of hometown Tulsa players. Offering songs of love, faith and the human condition, Moreland is one of the great new songwriters of his generation. (4AD/Remote Control) Denise Hylands

records in an attempt to figure out why they resonated with so many people, Be Myself has Sheryl Crow revelling in her age: hipsters are bad, comfy jeans are good, and nothing’s better than a beer and a great beat. These earthy mannerisms make Crow’s ninth album more country-rock than she might like, at a time when she’s distancing herself from country radio, but the no-frills approach has universal appeal. Switching between personal tragedy and empathising with a world in crisis, Crow hits all the marks for a record as intimate as it is topical. (Warner) Jake Cleland

Smiths to George Jones. (ANTI) Denise Hylands

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