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 shorthand for reference.:
TULIPOMANIA - Dreaming of Sleep ***
www.tulipomania.com
Sometimes it's hard to know what to write about an album, and the latest from Tulipomania is certainly a tough one to pin down. Dreaming of Sleep is wilfully unconventional, bold, and crucially, always an interesting listen. The electronic elements create an atmosphere that feels oppressive at times, but there's plenty of moments of light to leaven out proceedings. While not everyone is going to connect with this record, it's impossible not to admire the manic creativity of each track, and it's certainly worth watching their music videos. AJ
LAUREN COLLIER - Uddevella *****
www.laurencollier.co
"Uddevalla" was an album that lost a battle against time when it was launched back in December, but fortunately I was encouraged to revisit it and it turned out to be a great piece of advice. Scottish musician Lauren Collier finds herself with an album that can only be described as remarkable and it's a debut album no less. Collier is a fiddlesinger of no small talent and draws in musical influence like an atlas. This is a world tour that takes you from the top of the world all the way through the India Subcontinent and even manages to take a shift west and a visit to Haiti, infusing local language into the music to boot. "Uddevella" is an album where there's always something happening, but which never overwhelms, find it, buy it. NK
THE BATTERED CASE - City Of Song ***
thebatteredcase.bandcamp.com/album/city-of-song
A side hustle from Thursday's Band, sees Mark Gamon taking his songs off in a slightly more relaxed slightly looser style. Like a lot of material that's hit in recent years lockdown has a lot of responsibility for this album, which may partly explain a broader focus on travelling, particularly to the states and a slightly less political bent. "City Of Song", ironically, seems more infused with observation and slightly lighter on the politics. Predominantly supported by the strings of Matt Kelly and support vocals from Ali Cossor, the album has a light folk rock feel. It's an album that feels unrushed, almost relaxed and there's even time to paraphrase Sir Anthony Hopkins. NK
KATIE HENRY - Get Goin' ***
katiehenrymusic.com
"Get Goin'" is an absolute motorway destroyer of an album. Set the stereo to loud, switch the cruise control on and watch those miles just vanish. New Jersey singer-songwriter Katie Henry, picks up where she left with her debut cut, "On My Way". This is driving blues and whilst it would be more at home on Route 66, it works pretty damned well on the M3. It's an album with a live feel, at times seeming more like a gig than a recording. Henry has a voice that feels really at home in this blues style, but "A Doll's Heart, shows that there is a more emotional range to her singing that I personally would like her to explore more and elevate this from well performed blues to something that really sets her apart. NK
NANCY VIEIRA - Gente ****
nancyvieiramusic.com
This is the first album that I'm aware of that has come through the Fatea office from a Cape Verdi born artist and it was not the album I was expecting, but then I had forgotten that until the 1970s the archipelago was a Portuguese colony which went a long way to explaining the fado influence that provides the warp to a more African infused weft. Scatter a few touches from Brazilian dance music into the mix and you have quite the melting pot. Veira has quite the voice, at times it sounds as if it's been infused with tears and then counterbalances that with a lighter, elegant sound that has been touched by laughter and smiles. It's an album that simply charms, making it an absolute joy to listen to. NK
CINDY STRATTON - Everything Changes ***
cindystratton.wordpress.com
It's often said that the worst thing an album can be is a grower. It often means that they can be given a quick once over and then be put to one side to gather dust on a shelf waiting and hoping that there was just enough from the first listen to generate interest when the album comes back into view/memory. "Everything Changes" from the West Country's Cindy Stratton is just such an album. There was nothing wrong with it on first listen, but similarly there wasn't really a hook that you could hang a review on, I listen to a lot of singer songwriters, then I came across an EP from the Spare Room Collective that teams Cindy up with Alison Farina and that brought me back to "Everything Changes" and for me the most important change was clicking to the narrative style. AI
MAT GREEN & ANDY TURNER - Time For A Stotty Cake ***
www.andyturnermusic.uk/mat_andy/
Released on Wild Goose, "Time For A Stotty Cake" is the debut album of Mat Green & Andy Turner as a duo, though both have good form with many other musicians as well as working together in Magpie Lane. I'm never quite sure what the wider world makes of albums of Morris tunes, but as a dancer I find them absolutely thrilling, particularly when the artists go out of their way to research tunes that you don't hear on other releases. Strictly speaking this isn't an instrumental album as there are songs that intersperse the tune sets, but still very much in the morris tradition. This album is a toe tapper amongst it's type I probably would have probably given it an extra star. AI
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.