www.list.co.uk/music Record Reviews Music
WORLD LUÍSA MAITA Lero Lero Cumbancha ●●●●●
São Paolo singer Luísa Maita can do fresh and fragile as with ‘Aí Ven Ele’ (There He Comes), Brazilian north-eastern zippy with ‘Fulaninha’ (What’s Her Name), funky upbeat with ‘Lero Lero’ (Hey, What’s Up) and modern bossa with ‘Desencabulada’ (Wanton) which is surely destined to be a hit? Each is embedded in
the subtle sounds of the rich rhythmic landscape of Brazilian music, and each reveals a different aspect of Maita’s vocal personality. Yes, folks I think here we have the 21st century incarnation of ‘The Girl From Ipanema’, no longer the object of masculine gaze, but confidently expressing her own complex yet beautiful view of the world. (Jan Fairley)
WORLD COMPILATION VARIOUS The Essential Guide To South Africa (Union Square) ●●●●●
Time for a rich South African soundscape to celebrate World Cup time. Many will recognise the deep harmonies of Ladysmith Black Mambazo from baked beans ads if not from Paul Simon’s Graceland. This exuberant panorama also stretches from The Soul Brothers and The Mahotolla Queens to the reggae of Lucky Dube, including the champions of the anti- apartheid struggle, with Miriam Makeba’s iconic ‘Pata Pata’ and Hugh Masekela’s beautiful ‘Thimele’. With the second CD reaching back to early kwela pioneers like West Nkosi and jazz from
ALSO RELEASED
Seth Lakeman Hearts and Minds (Relentless/Virgin) ●●●●● In the wake of the folk modernism of Mumford and Marling, Lakeman’s latest is occasionally at risk of sounding a little too rustic and antiquated. King Creosote, Meursault & Animal Magic Tricks Cold Seeds (Song, by Toad) ●●●●● Eerie and sumptuous as the participants list might suggest, this corker’s only let-down is its sporadic tendency to meander without direction. Oasis Time Flies (Big Brother) ●●●●● A roughly chronological greatest hits, with the earlier and latter days of Oasis’ career divided across two CDs. Throw away forgettable CD two and you can add another star. Allo Darlin’ Allo Darlin’ (Fortuna POP!) ●●●●● Magic Numbers-style summery pop put through the twee blender, but it’s got all the nutritional value of a bag of sugar – overly sweet, and it’ll rot your teeth. Matisyahu Light (100%) ●●●●● Hasidic-Jewish electro-rap-reggae? It’s better than it sounds – you’ll be hard-pressed to keep your head from nodding. Loses a star for featuring Akon though. The Herbaliser Herbal Tonic (Ninja Tune) ●●●●● This ‘best of’ is undeniable funky fun, but often just serves as a reminder of acts (eg DJ Shadow, The Avalanches) who have done something similar but with more subtlety and panache. (Niki Boyle)
African Jazz Pioneers, and the third devoted to 21st urban hip-hop, techno and more, there are plenty sounds to savour this summer. (Jan Fairley) 10-24 Jun 2010 THE LIST 73
POP ROBERT WYATT Greatest Misses (Domino) ●●●●● Its title may be a wry acknowledgment of Robert Wyatt’s enduring cult status, but Greatest Misses stands as a fine introduction to a truly great artist. As the drummer in Soft Machine, Wyatt was at the forefront of English psychedelia, but in 1973 a fall left him paralysed from the waist down, forcing him to rethink his approach to making music. In collaboration with his partner Alfie, and musicians as diverse as Brian Eno, Ivor Cutler and Paul Weller, Wyatt has created some of the most idiosyncratic and brilliant music of our times, infused with the liberated spirt of jazz and art-rock, and the soul of blues and Latin- American folk. Ryuichi Sakamoto has
described Wyatt’s voice as the saddest in the world, but this fails to do justice to such a beautiful instrument. Wyatt’s wavering tenor can sound mournful, not least on Elvis Costello and Clive Langer’s peerless anti-Falklands War song ‘Shipbuilding’, but no matter how bleak things get, Wyatt refuses to let the bastards grind him down. Never preachy, his songs are inspiring in their dignity and humanity. ‘Free Will and Testament’ is as gorgeous a meditation on what it is to be alive as any, while his love songs are all the more moving for their honesty. His masterpiece, ‘Sea Song’ explores the joy and fear of falling in love through aquatic imagery. ‘Am I yours, are you mine to play with?’, he asks of Alfie, before concluding, quite beautifully, ‘Your madness fits in neatly with my own.’ Sublime. (Stewart Smith)
American canon, variously mastering lyrical protest folk (‘The Man Who Would Speak True’), 70s country and MOR rock (‘Laughing Lover’), psychedelia, prog and pop-opera (‘Destroyer of the Void’, ‘Love and Hate’) and vintage big-league balladry (‘Below the Hurricane’; the terrific ‘Heaven and Earth’). If their nostalgia borders on parody, dig deeper: there’s much to treasure in this album. (Nicola Meighan)
JAZZ JAMES MORTON’S PORKCHOP Don’t You Worry ‘Bout That (Fresh Ground Records) ●●●●● Bristol alto saxophonist James Morton has worked regularly with Pee Wee Ellis (of James
Hammond organ and drummer Ian Matthews stoke the boiler in exuberant fashion. A fresh twist on a familiar theme, with enough grit ‘n’ grease to sidestep drifting into the smooth jazz camp. (Kenny Mathieson) JAZZ NAT BIRCHALL Guiding Spirit (Gondwana) ●●●●●
Birchall is a saxophonist from the Manchester area, deeply in thrall to John Coltrane, and especially Coltrane’s strongly modal 60s music. Even his tune titles carry a distinctly Trane echo, but it would
be wrong to mark Birchall down as just another Coltrane imitator. He clearly has his own personal engagement with his musical mentor; expressing it through economy and simplicity rather than blustering attack. His soulful tenor and
soprano probe at the music in thoughtful fashion, supported by Adam Fairhall’s McCoy Tyner-inspired piano and a reliable rhythm section. Trumpeter Matthew Halsall features, and Rachel Gladwin’s kora and harp add unusual colouration. A strong follow up to last year’s well-received Akhenaten, Burchill merits a listen if late Trane or more restrained Pharaoh Sanders is your thing. (Kenny Mathieson)
Brown fame), and clearly soaked up the American saxophonist’s soul-jazz-funk ethos. The dance-floor friendly grooves and soulful licks draw heavily on the soul jazz organ bands of the 60s, but push beyond simply retreading old ground.
Morton’s saxophone work has a punchy energy and invention, and reveals a command of a considerably wider range of jazz idioms than just soul jazz. Denny Ilett avoids the clichés of jazz-funk guitar in original and engaging style, while Dan Moore on