New Music Reviews
Jazz Voice, Royal Festival Hall - engulfing beauty and hidden gemsSaturday, 16 November 2019
Jazz Voice unfailingly supplies a gigantic sugar-rush of auditory pleasure, and this year’s edition was no exception. Arranged, scored and conducted by the brilliant Guy Barker, the evening’s opener saw rising US vocalist Judi Jackson and the EFG London Jazz Festival Orchestra transform Nirvana’s brooding “Come As You Are” into a swaggering, Vegas-style workout. Read more... |
Craig David, BBC Radio 2 review - what's your flava?Saturday, 16 November 2019
My friend, let’s call her Kit, is having a rubbish time. Kat (that’s me) is too. If life’s got a flavour, it’s a shade darker than 99% cocoa. Kit and Kat are bitter. But if life is akin to boxed chocolates (or even foil-wrapped), there’s an entire world of tastes out there. What better than to add some sweetness, stir in some sugar? That’s where Craig comes in. Oh, Craig! Read more... |
theartsdesk on Vinyl 54: The Beatles, Prince, Kid Acne, Nirvana, Teebs, Monty Python, Pulp and moreWednesday, 13 November 2019
Without further ado, slightly delayed by the sheer volume of releases at this year time of year, here is the latest edition of theartsdesk on Vinyl. You will not find a more extensive monthly report on the goodies newly available on plastic anywhere on the internet. Every conceivable genre is theartsdesk on Vinyl’s game so dive in and get involved! Read more... |
Vampire Weekend, O2 Academy, Birmingham review – clean-cut Americans fail to igniteTuesday, 12 November 2019
By the time Vampire Weekend reached Birmingham on their latest UK jaunt, they had unfortunately managed to mislay their support band, the colourful Songhoy Blues. This was a great shame, as the Malians would surely have added a bit of colour to the early part of an evening that would most certainly have benefitted from a bit of light and shade. Read more... |
Reissue CDs Weekly: Yesterday Has Gone - The Songs of Teddy RandazzoSunday, 10 November 2019
“It's Gonna Take a Miracle” just missed out on a mainstream US Top 40 placing after The Royalettes issued it as a single in June 1965. But the song had staying power. Read more... |
Ólafur Arnalds presents OPIA, Southbank Centre review - many strange delightsSaturday, 09 November 2019
Ólafur Arnalds is almost secretly huge. Millions adore the melancholy beauty of the Icelandic composer’s music, yet his name still brings blank stares from some. Read more... |
CD: Luke Combs – What You See Is What You GetThursday, 07 November 2019
With US number one singles and Grammys coming out of his ears, a record-breaking streak at the top for debut album This One’s For You and collaborations with country big-timers aplenty, Luke Combs is riding high. Read more... |
Seun Kuti & Egypt 80, Village Underground review - more than a homage to FelaWednesday, 06 November 2019
The joy of Afro-Beat comes from the intricate play of polyrhythms, eloquently constructed around the subtle interplay of guitars, bass, backing vocals, percussion and horns: each voice follows a distinct path, and the combination of each in a rich and complex whole is both powerfully mind-blowing and irresistibly danceable. Read more... |
Hubro 10th-Anniversary Concert, The Spice of Life review - boundary pushing Norwegian label marks its birthdayMonday, 04 November 2019
A fiddle projects upwards from between Erlend Apneseth’s knees. Seated, he holds another in his right hand facing-off the instruments against each other. He’s plucking both, the pizzicato pitter-patter suggesting water drops on a bell or a koto. On the other side of the stage, guitarist Stephan Meidell is looping the sound, treating it to form a wash akin to that of a waterfall. Read more... |
BaBa ZuLa, Jazz Cafe review - much more than mere entertainment from 'Turkish Psych' specialistsMonday, 04 November 2019
BaBa ZuLa only fully manifest their free spirit when they play live, and in the intimate setting of a venue like the Jazz Cafe, where the entre audience is close to the stage. Read more... |
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