MUSIC RECORD REVIEWS
clear as a Glacier Mint and rich as Bourneville chocolate, pirouetting round storyteller lyrics on recent single ‘The Moon and The Sun’ and ‘Gne String Violin’.
Despite a considerable star-studded , cast of ancillary players (moonlighting ? members of The Charlatans, Levitation, Kitchens of Distinction and, enn, Pentangle), this album never succumbs to clutter. A modest string arrangement swells in the wings for ‘Little Fox’, lending understated grandeur rather than a lush intrusion. ‘Follow’ evokes a Clannadesque feeling of space.
Sounding not unlike oor ain Eddi Reader, or Capercaillie relocated to a forlorn English hamlet, Heidi Berry will find favour with disciples of Mark
REHE- _ Gavin Inglis reviews the
new releases. lleidl Berry (4A0) llot until the third album do we get the eponymous title. lleidi Berry has moved from her curious position as the oasis in the boyish, iangly Creation roster of the late 80s to 4A0, always a more appropriate resting place for her gracefully-chiselled ballads, and has now, literally, carved a name for herself on the sleeve of her most polished recording to date.
lleidi has poise. lleidi has dignity. Peel Session versions of Others sweat’in the name of the filthy (Black Metallic. and beast rock n roll or shred strings lll 'Painfm Thing: The same 1 pursuit of frenetic folky authenticity. magic eludes American lot a droplet of perspiration adorns Music Club's ‘Keep Me % Heidi’s brow. She is Enya before Enya Around' (Virgin). which ¥ drifted towards emotionless reverie. . Eitzel, Richard Thompson and Carole
is ‘1 lacklustre “ramble llot one to duck and dive behind King. (Fiona Shepherd) song. sounding a bit like i
REM under the effects of . acoust'c Wh'msy’ h" “we ""95 0|" a wasting disease. Try TEARS FOR FEARS
again. iads. we know you can do it. Six-foot-seven drag queen RuPaul has Produced a strangely Elemental (Mercury) addic‘m dance "3th Remember those sunflowers that were ‘Sul’e’fmd'?! (You 89““ the seeds of love? Well, they’re back. mgyhgggsggggogggg Dried and dead, but back. Alone, modelling. Might be a Roland Orzabal cradles the new seeds name to watch. this of ‘Elemental’, and from it genninates lad/lass. Features a true music with sweeping vocals. Politically incorrect Piano ‘Cold’ continues where ‘Seeds Of Love’ Version- , left off, yet displays a more NOW hm S a" , unequivocal attitude to the future. fmlmzfim prof”: ami. From that joy follows the funky pop m. mg a fy "pun . shoogle of ‘Break It Down’, which is comment on the LA riots. , Shock To The system succeeded by the painfully elongated screaming vocals of ‘Dog’s A Best Friend’s Dog’. It’s all disturbingly enjoyable. The vigour is briefly interrupted by two slices of beautiful piano ambience. With their contemplative
After a lengthy absence. The Catherine Wheel are back with a new single ‘Crank’ (Fontana). it‘s a delicious mix of hang-in- the-air harmony. crunchy guitar and flowing vocals. released with different backing tracks on each format. The 12in is recommended. including
sullenness, ‘Mr Pessimist’ and ‘Gas Giants’ are more reminiscent of Talk Taik’s ‘Spirit Of Eden’ than the controlled rock raunch of the rest of ‘Elemental’. Strange that in all this positivity Orzabal should stop and take a long look over his shoulder into the past. ‘Fish Out Of Water’ is a venomous dagger into Curt Smith’s back.
Certainly, ‘Elemental’ is none the worse for Smith’s departure, but at least he was a calming influence upon Orzabai’s obsession with 603 pop stars. ‘Rrian Wilson Said’ binds John Lennon ballad with Beach Boys sleighbells, and Elemental should have finished here with its champion iauy ending. But, no, Orzabal decides to pay homage to Wings with the chirpy ‘Goodnight Song’. Still, nine out of ten flowers from a packet of seeds isn’t bad. (Philip Gorward)
(Chrysalis). Luckily. it ends up sounding pretty much like. well. Billy idol. Also included are idoi's club-only techno version of the Veivets' ‘Heroin‘ and a suspiciously unremixed ‘White Wedding‘.
The accomplished i female vocals this time , g round appear in Hannah Emergency 0n Planet Earth . Jones‘s new single, ‘What (Grenda/Sony) '
if. . .‘ (TMRC). it starts with appealineg moody string waves over a dance beat but sadly goes to crash with a bog-standard charty chorus. Good voice. shame about . . .
We've heard great things about Chicago‘s Smashing Pumpkins. Unfortunately. i don't hear them coming from ‘Cherub Rock' (Hut). the first single off their new album. It never gets started. continually stopping short of any real energy. B-side ‘Pissant‘ is better.
Flavour of the fortnight
The Funk glows and The Funk sweats. Such is its natural dynamic, a wire- walking balancing act that weighs i precision musicianship against intangible flair.
Enter Jamiroquai, too young, too white and too pop to do the form (ustice? Only if funk is stoically sacred, its tenets carved in stone and its future built on quaint historicisrn. ‘Emergency 0n Planet Earth’ is a tluting, trilling, parping, tom-torn crazy ; extravagance of tropical (an/funk ’ Iushness, totally derivative and totally essential. Snap and froth are provided by the club-cool singles; epic 70s wig- outs like ‘Music Of The Mind’ and
d b ‘dl h . be ‘Revolution 1993’ provide alternative mg: guznf‘d'g reality grooves, huge soundscapes in ~
. t. til
Sundancci (Essential). A i which Kaye proves what a towering, huge wave or red hem, precocious vision and talent he has. this masterpiece of style There remains the tedious fusion throws a new contrivance of the image (ditch the Perspective 0" lribal ; hat) and the burbllng new age-isms of Wm. “my dance the philosophy (bright sentiments, dull 8‘00"" ‘"’°°°‘“ "‘9 words). But .lamiroquai’s debut is such
rock riffs and chanting are
blended powerfully by two Canadian indians and the result is irresistible. This is where dance music should be coming from. Grab it. buy it. steal it.
L____s_ ___
; an organic, rollercoasting, libidinous
:i ride that such carping is reduced to
! churllsh jealousy, sparked off by
disbelief that funk’s precision/flair
; duality could be so adrenalisingly
'l pinned-down by a 22-year-old cockney wide-boy. (Craig McLean)
' \
28 The List i8 June—l July I993