.z‘.// GEE GALLO, MiNéT'ro
Cream of Mandarins
'Arteuriorior 0..
l’ranrst Jonathan Gee rs likely to be the most familiar irrerrrber of this Anglo ltalran trio. This debut album wasn't quite ready ahead of their appearance in Edinburgh late last year. but it reveals that the pianrst's ltalran colleagues, bassist Darirlo (‘rallo and drummer Alessandro Minetto, are eriipathic collaborators in their explorations of a set of largely original tunes (George Shearing's
'l tillaby of Broadway' is the sole exception) by all three musicians.
This is deft and thoughtful playing rn the cl; ssrc piano trio format. With obvious roots in American iaxx models. but overlaid With a distinctly European feel and sensibility.
(Kenny Mathresonl
HIP HOP
ROOTS MANUVA Awfully Deep
(Big Dada) oooo
If anyone rs gomg to be a champion for UK rap rt is not gong to be Rodney Smith. For although he is the best rhynuEr in the land and has turned Out a third album which carries forward hrs spooky Cinematic Orchestra collatmratrons brilliantly, he's JUST not rnterested enough rn the world outSrde hrs own head to speak for anything or anyone else. The world that Roots raps about rs one of inner turmOrl: 'l ShOLild Cut down this drinking too many late nights and wayward thrnkrng.‘ he rhymes on
BENJAMIN ZEPHANIAH Naked
Oll‘: '. :TK‘: l""lid" ...
The, say that the brg look on this year's catnalks rs going to be P/ar School. You know - big floral prints. Jerirrrr‘a bunches and the fake '~.'uln(,-rabrlity of Big Ted. Zephaniah, a fine populist poet and rrrtrsroan who has already made a handful of reggae influenced albuir‘s. seen‘s to be way ahead of everyone. His new albrrm — a hodgepodge of agrt prop poetry. tabla and electronrca 7— is underlined by a narvety that only the great forgotten children's presenter Derek Griffiths could have got away with.
There rs no dOubt that Zephaniah has put together a tight band (contributors include Dennis Bovell, Howard Jones. Trevor Morars and Unden-rorld's Rick Smrthr but these 1 1 songs With their state of the nation themes reach for the eloquence of early Scott Heron. LKJ 0r Frantr but end up sounding as strangely irrelevant and cheesy. Shame — the all white package box rllustrated inside by Banksy 's graffiti is lovely. rPaul Dale»
JAZZ
E.S.T.
Viaticum
rACT RECOTOSi 0000
A nev. album from EST. rEshyorn Svensson Trio is al‘»'.’a\,8 a maJOr event. l'latrctrrn takes its literal title from religious ritual. but the band also offer rt in a less specific sense. leayrng rt open to listeners to make their own it‘eéiltir‘rgs from the music and therr mysterious tune titlesr ln Keeping with that Origin. the music has a
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y‘ to __ t n ‘0“ ‘ w, o
pl'tl ) ‘l W.) t ',. '1‘
edge of érr‘tflgtlfléd
exciteir‘w". -:.r:i~::"f their il‘.’(: otrtrr‘ris. Kenn, lvlatrlrtsrr .'.()llt.ir
STOR PIAZZOLLA The Rough Guide to Astor Piazzolla 'VVor‘ld Music. Net'sxlrk 0.0.0
Astor Pity/n la»
. A} f
Tango can be the lushest. most seductive of all music. and the much—covered 'Lrbertango' opens this collection wrth the :rresistrble romanticism which has attracted covers from Grace JOnes. Juiren Clerc and Yo-Yo Ma.
But Astor Piazzolla was not the King of Tango rn the srmple way that BB was King of the Blues. A restless genius who mastered hrs chosen genre early. he spent 50 years reinventing rt. and yOu wrll frnd technical trickery and dissertance. Gerry Mulligan. talran balladry and echoes of StravrnSKy in this dazzling collectron. lt's not always the easiest listen but this is a talent which richly rewards perseverance. rNrnran Dunnettr
PROGTBONIC POP M83
Before the Dawn Heals Us
lLabelSr 0000
Here. equal parts My Bloody Valentine. Tangerine Dream and Boards of Canada are carefully distilled and
(wt/es, from ours an;
Lost Coos; 3; but at; a
result is 5:; (tr tltt"1l‘.t,‘ as an album. It}; still a lot rnore t2()fll[>ttlllflll and ingenious than much inusir: around today.
MB?) it; danct- rnusit you cant dance to that makes you sad. Nor. that may not sound like much of a recoinrnentlation but rt truly is a compliment llVlar'k Robertsonr
INDIE--
LOU BARLOW Emoh
lDorninor 0..
That Lou Barlow was there first. teaching Snow Patrol. Pavement and Beck the ground rules of indie songcraft 12 years ago rs almost a moot point. It's more reassuring however to hear he's strll got that beguiling skill with songs that have seen him through dozens of Sebadoh. Folk Implosion and Sentrrdoh long players. Amazingly enough. thrs rs Barlows debut solo album. He's understated as ever. armed with leSl a guitar and minimal. if inventive. backing. knocking out tales of self-doubt. love and wayward felines Enron is Suitably slight. but rn places gentl, brrllrant. ilvfark Robertson,
Lucky Luke
Shock news jllSi in! Daniel Bedingfield':: getting 0.... this fortnight for 'Wrap My Arms Around You' (Polydori and there ain't .i thing anyone can do about rt After all. the poor fella almost died in a car srirash the other year. yet here he rs, back doing what ht does best. Yes. that may llT\.'()l\.(: the aural eguryaient or greaSing up to us like the worst indie (:lub reject on heat and forstrrrg a song with no discernible tune on the great Brrt:~;lr publrtz. but sympathy props are more than due. That's five stars for survival instinct. riowt tor this al_)ornrnable claptrap. In case you were rrr any doubt.
And speaking of il|»a(’lvised con‘ehacks . . Beyonce Knowles! Just two years agr ), love. you were delighting us Wlilt the best bloody song of the year in ‘Crazy in Love. And now what? Two singles in. and the much vaunted Destiny’s Child comeback is already throwing up something as prssweak as ‘Soldrer‘ (Sony; .0 . Looks like J Lo oops. sorry, back to Jennifer Lopez 7 wins the Battle of the Butts this fortnight With “(Set Brght' fSony BMG) 000 It's lll()ll(;ll8l\.’(: urban Latino stylings as usual. and a consummate exercrse in making brand marketing strategy at least pit-zasantly llstenable.
Which is, I think. about the right time to announce the wrnner of the untrl now non existent John Lennon Soundalrke of the Month contest. So congratulations to Willy Mason. whose Plastic Ono Band-era 'Oxygen' lVrrgrnr 0000 is. indeed, ‘cooler than TV'. Mark Joseph is a deserved runner-rip wrth lady Lady' (14th FIOOerarnerr 00. . but Stephen Fretwell sadly saw ‘Bun' iFictronr 0.. taken out of the. aherrr, runnrng. Trying too hard. Sony.
We couldn't go Without mentioning the fact that Doves seem to have gone agreeany strident wrth the release of “Black and White Town' tHeavenlyi ooo . or that Death From Above 1979's “Blood On Our Hairds' (679) CO. is also rockingly fine. Well done to The Kills. though. whose ‘The Good Ones (Domino) 0000 came close to thrs ssue's best.
However, in the face of such a gualrty line-up lnot you. Bedlngfield!) the eventual wrnners have to be the folksy. rOOISy. homegrown contingent. In any other month. James Yorkston and the Athletes' beauteOus cascadlng 'Shlpwreckers' (Dornrnor oooo would have gone home wrth the real Single of the Fortnight gong. But not in the same fortnight that Glasgow's Lucky Luke release such a marvellous piece of work as “Fear Eats the Soul' (lnvada) on... Not nearly as omrn0us as it sounds. it's like Fairport Convention without the maypoles - be strll our beating hearts! Frve stars, and not one of them a Sympathy vote. (Davrd Pollock)
THE LIST 69