Month: January 2019
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Estrons: You Say I’m Too Much, I Say You’re Not Enough
This is billed as punk but it’s somewhere between indie — proper early indie, when it was an approach and not a genre — and rock. If they could be accused of lacking the genuine feel it’s because they can play their instruments far too well (“The Damned can play three chords, The Adverts can…
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Michael Bublé: Love
This starts off with a sentimental cover, When I Fall In Love, which is peak Bublé, as slow and luscious as you like and his voice shown off to its best. A perky I Only Have Eyes For You follows, just total class; you’d have to be Scrooge not to love it. Love You Anymore…
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Katie Melua: Ultimate Collection
The PR says it’s 15 years since the release of Katie Melua’s debut album (Call Off The Search) but we reckon it’s only five years … it’s only listening to Ms Melua’s music that makes it seem like 15. It’s true! We never meant to be mean about this; we were expecting nice folky pop…
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Boyzone: Thank You and Goodnight
Boyzone have managed to exist for 25 years without troubling the Review Corner sound system, but we guess fans will love this. Thank You and Goodnight is a collection of new songs, with collaborations guaranteed to get them lots of airplay and bring in new fans. Ed Sheeran, who was still in nappies when BZ…
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Neil Young: Songs for Judy
Recent Neil Young live albums can sometimes be of the “I guess you had to be there” kind: the recording is not the same as the actual event, and even for die-hards, they can be a bit meh. Songs for Judy is different. Young’s guitar tech and tour photographer Joel Bernstein taped live shows from…
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Daniil Shafran Bach: Six Suites For Cello
This is a re-issue but still sounds great: Bach played by a perfectionist who believed in bringing out the emotion in music rather than worrying about the technical. Obviously, he had to be really good to do that. Shafran was born in 1923, the son of the principal cellist of the Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra; his…
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Niccolò Paganini: Works for Violin and Orchestra
This CD features a world première recording of the original versions of three works by Paganini: Le Streghe — described as a turning point in his career by the sleeve notes — Non più mesta and I Palpiti. A performance of Le Streghe in 1813 in Milan launched Paganini’s career. The “premier recording” line is…
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The Trials of Cato: Hide and Hair
If you like folk and you’ve not heard of The Trials of Cato, we suspect this will change before the year is out. They produce folk that is recognisably traditional, with the commercial mass-appeal of Seth Lakeman and the musical prowess of a shredding metal guitarist. The people who don’t like this will probably be…
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