New Music Reviews - Oct 2020

Denise Johnson

Where Does It Go

PART OF the soul and fabric of Manchester before her sad and untimely passing in July, this is Denise Johnson's posthumous debut album. As a proud Mancunian, who's soulful voice has adorned many a Mancunian band as well as some of Primal Scream's higher watermarks, Johnson chose to record 5 classic songs by Manchester artists as well as record 2 of her own. Things start with the well known New Order song True Faith which is a faithful rendition, with the outro particularly working well on acoustic guitar as the chords change.

      10cc's I'm Not In Love follows and is spellbinding - it is my pick of the songs here. With such a short selection - with 7 tracks totaling 28 minutes it is more the length of an E.P. - each track carries more weight but none are filler, each having their their own intriguing beauty including intriguing covers of The Smith's Well I Wonder and Sunshine Over The Rain. A poignant eulogy to a beautiful soul. If there's a drawback it's that they are all mid paced songs and the tempo across the album is so uniform I found myself sometimes drifting. It's soft acoustic underbelly also adds to this problem, but as a reminder of Johnson's voice and the joy she brought to many records over the last 3 decades it serves it purpose admirably.

Rating 7

Disclosure

ENERGY   Capitol
First album in 5 years from our favourite British contemporary Dance act
THIRD ALBUMS in are a tricky affair, particularly in those cases such as Disclosure's where their last album was as successful as Caracal, not just in cementing their reputation for producing exciting dance music but also growing their reach as they put a foot in the American market when it charted 9th in the US Billboard 200 and was nominated for a Grammy. Truth be told however, it was a step down from their exhilarating debut Settle, rush released within two years - a rarity these days - as they capitalised on their growing success whilst also touring at the same times. It's the latter that primarily explains the five year wait for their third LP, as the boys from Essex stop to catch their breath after 2 albums in 3 years and 331 live gigs in 4 years. It's given them a chance to pause for thought and come back with a more solid effort whilst at the same time expanding their sound as they incorporate R&B and Hip Hop beats into their sound, a recognition perhaps of their growing influence in the US particularly with the guest choice. There is a greater array of guest spots this time and it's the Americans who stand out with Kelis taking over the opener Watch Your Step, Common expertly rapping on Reverie whilst American singer-songwriter Khalid sings over the closing two tracks Know Your Worth and Talk, both of which were released as singles prior to the album's release.

      Despite this refinement of their house sound, it's still their harder house beats that keep me coming back for more, particularly Lavendar, the Basement Jaxx samba inspired title track and Ecstasy, the most old skool track here, with it's almost French House like beat and flourishes of UK Garage piano. Special mention to Douha (Mali Mali) too which shows them brilliantly incorporating African music for the first time. It's undoubtedly the best single off the album and one of the songs of the summer.

      Overall, despite the wider array of styles and guest spots, this is an enjoyable, fun and coherent album, particularly if you acknowledge that their R&B influences are here to stay and that their sound had to develop and not just stick to the harder formula that proved so fruitful with earlier hits such as White Noise. It's still a touch off their excellent debut but they've made their most memorable music since then and hopefully they can come back to us sooner next time and raise the bar yet again.

Rating 7

Declan McKenna

Zeros

Follow up to 2015's debut

A British singer-songwriter who sings from the same place as Bowie and Elton, complete with mascara, piano led ballads and outer worldly trips. Lead single Be an Astronaut is one of the songs of the year in my book, even stripped down to just voice and piano (as on Later...With Jools Holland) it still held it's own, something of a rarity these days.

      The first half of the ten track album is great and if it had kept up this it would have been one of the albums of the year, but it can't quite manage this feat. Nevertheless the whimsical childlike closer Eventually, Darling finishes things off in style and it is a pallatable listen which really helps it's cause. I get the feeling that McKenna is just getting started and he'll one day release a genuine classic LP. Definitely one to listen to and follow..

Rating 7

Tricky
Fall to Pieces   FALSE IDOLS

Fourteenth album in his twenty five year career to date

TRICKY KID is a tryer there's no doubt about it, quietly going about his thing. This is his first album however since the tragic death of his daughter Mina Mazy and such a tragic event undoubtedly influences the music here.
      For me it doesn't matter that this album is so short - it is almost EP in length - as it is intense like most of Tricky's back catalogue. It is also consistently enjoyable. Tracks such as Hate This Pain can only relate to the aforementioned sad passing of his daughter; it makes listening to them all the more poignant.
      Despite being a bit of a cynic and not really understanding the fuss around his '95 debut Maxinquaye, I enjoyed this album. Indeed perhaps more because of the succinct nature of it all, finishing in less time than the Ramones debut in 28 minutes. Two of the first four tracks are less than 2 minutes long and all in all the first half rattles along quite nicely. Whilst most is classic Tricky, there are moments here where he is broadening his musical pallet such as on the Spanish flavoured Running Off and the electronic Chills Me to the Bone. All round a thoroughly decent return for the kid and a glimpse into what grief does to the soul.

Rating 7

Pearl Jam
MTV Unplugged   MTV & EPIC RECORDS
1992 Live Recording finally gets an official audio release

    ORIGINALLY RELEASED on March 16, 1992, this one off show was part of the MTV Unplugged series that MTV did with acclaimed Rock acts of the early and mid Nineties which included Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Oasis and fellow grungers Nirvana. Unlike their fellow Seattle band it was never officially released and it seems them hot off the back of their electric debut Ten and still 18 months away from releasing its follow up Vs, running through six of their debut's songs including all its singles and one off The State of Love And Trust.
      Complete with enthusiastic whistles and woops - which is like marmite, you'll either think it adds to the performance or completely takes the shine off - it's terse at only seven songs but every moment is right on the money, as a well drilled Pearl Jam rally through each song at a frenetic albeit acoustic, pace. Porch closes things, probably due to its relatively slow mid song break where the band gear up for one final closing onslaught.  As singer Eddie Vedder signs off, "Thankyou. It didn't feel like a TV show at all."

Rating 8