‘ amid all the Nashville
RECORD REVIEWS MUSIC
I Happy Mondays: Loads & Loads More (The Best Of . . .) (London Record) Oh. the halcyon days of Madchester and all things ba 'gy. The Mondays were the scuzziest. tneanest. funkiest band to stalk the planet in search of ultimate thrills and potent pills. l’ay no heed to revisionists who would kid you this material isn't a patch on the Black Grape record. ‘Wl-‘L~ is everything Primal Screattt's loaded' claimed to be. the point where indie and dance met and decided they‘d like to see more of each other. ‘Step ()n'. ‘24 Hour Party People. ‘llallelujah' . . . this is a double-Cl) treat and no tricks. liven the softly confessional ‘Stinkin' Thinkin" from the slated final LP is here. Btty it yesterday. (Rodger livans) I Melissa Etheridge: Your Little Secret (Island) With all the critical approbation generously showered upon Melissa litheridge. you'd expect great things. You’d definitely expect a good deal more than stale. corporate boy-rock fronted by this decade's Bonnie Tyler. Btit no. Your Little Secret. its first halfat least. isjust such an animal. subtle as a lilying V and rent by archetypal rock-chick histrionics. With all that
out of the way. she gets down to some more subdued stuff later on. ‘All The Way To Heaven'. ‘I Could Have Been You‘ and ‘Shriner's l’ark' show her capable of a little diversity after all. and could have saved the day if they’d demonstrated that she‘s a songwriter of distinction. Sadly. no such luck. (Alastair Mabbott) I Asian Dub Foundation: Facts And Fictions (Nation) A group that began as a community music technology workshop. ADF have outgrown their origins with almost frightening
ease and pack a weighty punch. Frontman Master I) takes his raps just to the edge of intelligibility. bttt their uncompromising anti-racist stance is never obscured. Quite incredible. really. given the velocity oftheir attack. in which hip hop. ragga. jungle and a variety of Indian samples. souudbites and influences are churned tip and spat ottt over rapid-lire rhythms. Not all of Fuels Am/ l-‘it'limir is equally frenetic. but nowhere could it be described as easy listening. (Alastair Mabbott)
ondays
COUNTRY
I The Mavericks: Music For All Occasions (MCA) l.ashings of retro kitsch. starting with the cover. but all done with genuine style. and quite irresistible. The Mavericks touch base all over the yard. taking in the Roy Orbison pastiche of 'Missing You'. the driving country boogie of ‘All You liver Do Is Bring Me Down‘. a straight take on Something Stupid' (with Trisha Yearwood as Nancy to Raul Malo's l‘rank). and several of the big country tear-jerkers which Malo does so well. Those with a taste for more conventional country-rock may prefer Blackhawk's Strung [invite/1 (Aristat. but the sussed know better.
I Kate Mackenzie: let Them Talk (Red House) Lots of activity on the women's front right now, with new albums from Dolly l’arton. Reba .‘vlclintire. Carlene Carter. liaith llill. Martina McBride and Maura O‘Connell vying for attention. The one that really caught my ears
gloss. though. was this wonderful acoustic album from Kate MacKenzie. lixcellent songs. beautiful singing (l{tiitity'lt)u Harris and Alison Krauss chip in backing vocals). and superb playing (from Bela l-‘leck and Sam Btish. among others) in a style which crosses easily froin country to folk and bluegrass. Highly recommended.
I Wayne Hancock: Thunderstorms And Neon Signs (Deiadisc) Again. big-time Georgia boys Alan Jackson (MCA) and Travis Tritt (Warner Bros) both have (il‘t’tlh'A‘! Hits collections out. alongside new albums frotn Ty lingland. Tim .‘vIcGraw and Sawyer Brown. but it is well worth seeking out this line debut album from Wayne Hancock. The music is much less commercially orientated. and tnnch closer to authentic hillbilly roots than Nashville orthodoxy. with a distinctive jazz swing feel in places. and not just on their version of Gershwin's 'Summertime'. Check it out.
I Rosie Flores: Rockabilly Filly
. (Hightone) We may be due ;
another rockabilly revival. if Doc Watson's l)m'u/ti/lv (Sugar Hill) and this offering front singer and guitarist Rosie Flores are anything to go by. If the great Doc sounds a little awkward at times. Rosie seems to be having loads of fun in fulfilling this long-desired project. and that energy and enthusiasm comes through in the music. with the emphasis firmly on the country side of the equation.
I Nashville Bluegrass Band: Unleashed (Sugar Hill) Bluegrass has never enjoyed the high profile of mainstream country music. but it continues to attract a devoted following. The live-piece Nashville Bluegrass Band are one of its crack outfits. both instrumentally and in the sweet. high harmony vocals which are such a key feature of the music. Ace fiddler Byron Berline offers a more diverse selection on the star- studded Fit/(Ila and u Sung (Sugar Hill). while Tammy Rogers and Don lleffington take greater risks with the tradition on their excellent In The Rerl (Dead Reckoning). (Kenny i‘vlathieson)
edinburgh venue +P'aceb0
. sunday.26th november
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GLASGOW BARBOWLAND FRIDAY 15! DECEMBER
TICKETS: TOCTA AGENTS AROUND SCOTLAND 0131-557 6969 INC VIRGIN MEGASTQRES GLASGOW & EDINBURGH
GLASGOW ROYAL CONCERT HALL SATURDAY 23rd DECEMBER
Tickets £12.50. I11 I and L9 from Royal Concert Hall Box Office
and'ficketcentre(iandleriggs’I'elUltl-ZZ 5311
$32
The l.l\l 17 ill Nov l‘Nf—t 41