The Driving Test
A Musical Car Ride
Whilst we would love to give every album/EP/single a full indepth review,we are only human and don't have a time turner so we aren't able to give every release the time and attention it deserves.
In the past that would have ment that we either reviewed a release or we didn't, but now we have a third option, a middle way.
The solution here has been a simple one. Rather than review individual artists' CD's at length, we play them one after the other on a long car journey. The simple listening test is: "are they bearable in the car - interesting, enjoyable, not distracting". This may not be how the artists want us to hear their work, but it's how a lot gets listened to for the first time and at least raises awarenes! The rating system is simple and provides a shorthan for reference.:
Ben Morgan-Brown - Moment ****
www.benmorganbrown.co.uk
Devon based Singer songwriter Ben Morgan-Brown is currently working on an album for release later in the year, Chalk & Clay. But first we get Moment, an album of ten instrumental tracks of which nine were recorded in just a single afternoon last month. Morgan-Brown is a masterful guitarist, and Moment is a delightful showcase for his skills. Some of the tracks are several years old, and some are so new their first play was captured for the album. It may be (in his own words) imperfect, with other sounds creeping in if you really listen hard, but it does what it sets out to perfectly; captures a moment in time with an immediacy that you can hear throughout. This is far from just a filler album until we get the proper one with vocals, and is well worth a listen. AJ
Dave Giles - Diamonds and Roses ***
www.davejgiles.com
Having recorded his last album in Nashville, Giles is planning his next recording to take place in the legendary Abbey Road studios next January, proving that ambition is certainly not something he lacks. Until then we get this four song EP to tide us over, but there is still plenty of ambition on display. For a start, Giles has gathered a band, Dave Holland, Adam Kury, and Pearl Jam drummer Dave Krusen. As such the stand out songs here are the excellent Elizabeth I, and Maggie Knows, both of which make the most of the line-up. Given that they were thousands of miles apart while recording these, one can only imagine how good the results will be when they are together in London. Diamonds and Roses will certainly whet the appetite until we get to see those results in 2022. AJ
Emma Scarr - Scarred For Life ****
www.emmascarr.net
If "Scarred For Life" were architecture it would be brutalist, if it were photography, it would be street realist. Few brutalist buildings are admired for their aesthetic, street realism the harder side of life, neither are easy, but they have their followers and there is a straightforward truth to them. The same is true of the writing and performing of Emma Scarr. Folk music was rarely about the green fields of England, it was the smoky cities, the canals, the railways, hard lives and hard drinking and a fair amount of domestic abuse and murders. "Scarred For Life", reflects that, but just as a mirror also reflects life, it also reflects the indomitable spirit and hope that gets people through that existence. Music is often a key to charging the spirit for another go, go for it. NK
Steve Jinski - Hope Street ****
www.stevejinski.com
Steve Jinski is an old campaigner with a good few years under his belt, both solo and as part of the duo that bore his surname. I've known his music since Fatea was but a paper magazine and whilst he's not been one of the most prolific artists that has crossed my path, he's always been a damned fine one when it comes to his song writing and "Hope Street" is no exception. You can pick up Steve's work as an educator in both the narrative and the way the songs have been put together. Like much of the material that's come through the office, "Hope Street" draws on the twin crises of Covid and Brexit division for inspiration, but focuses on what brings us together rather than sets us apart. It feels like a rallying cry, forget the differences, lets get in there and help. NK
Storm Warning - Different Horizons ***
www.stormwarning.co.uk
"Different Horizons" is Storm Warning's fifth album, but sadly between recording and release the album has turned into a swansong for the band's guitarist Bob Moore. Fittingly there was time to include a short tribute booklet on the inside back cover of the album, giving family and friends the chance to pay their respects. The album has been penned entirely from within the band. As with a lot of blues rock, there is a tendency to have tracks longer than they strictly need to be, which can bring in the law of diminishing returns, sometimes less is more. That said you can't criticise the quality of the musicianship and you can feel the comradery of a group of musicians with more than sixteen years at the mast. NK
Ross & Ryan Couper - An Den Dey Made Tae ****
rosscouper.bandcamp.com/releases
"An Den Dey Made Tae" sees Mrs Couper's two boys together as a duo for the first time and there's even time for their sister Mariann to join them on piano to help close out the album. As you can imagine from two consummate musicians, Ross & Ryan have delivered an instrumental album that is rich ion the tradition and as beholds a tradition, have added a lot of their own tunes to ensure that things stay fresh and vibrant. It's an easy album to recommend there are plenty of sets that travel from the ear to the almost impossible to stop tapping toes and so maybe not one for the car. "Yes officer I was going a bit fast, but in my defence the Couper brothers were in full flow". Make the most of this Shetland Superduo it's going to be a thing. NK
Karen Bella - Karen Bella ***
http://www.karenbella.com
2020 proved to be a double whammy for New York based singer songwriter Karen Bella. She went from playing seven shows a week across the Tri-State and just as she was about to hit the button on her new EP, Covid paid her a personal visit and a broken wrist put paid to even catching up with online performances. So almost a year after it should have hit the streets and airwaves, "Karen Bella" finally gets out there. With a solid live background, I expected the ep to be tight, I didn't expect it to scope in so much of the acoustic spectrum, folk, country, even pop and r 'n' b make their appearance. Karen Bella, seems to be an artist that gives her songs what they need rather than shoehorned into a genre, something that gives an artist something to draw on when feeling out a room. NK
Fatea Showcase Sessions
The Fatea Showcase Sessions are a series of downloads featuring acts that we've really enjoyed and think that more people should get the chance to hear.
Corsair is the current session and features 16 fantastic artists check out the website to find out more about them and download your copy
www.fatea-showcase-sessions.co.uk for all the artist information.
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