PRESS TO PLAY - January 08

MAVIS STAPLES - Down In Mississippi (2007)

Taken from Mavis' latest album "We'll Never Turn Back"and the 2nd record in 3 years that has seen her not only return to making worthwhile music again after a decidedly patchy and ultimately disappointing solo career, but it's a return also to making music that whilst being spiritual is also armed with a strong social conscience. Following on from her critically acclaimed 2004 release "Have A Little Faith", this effort was produced by Ry Cooder and his aural footprint is all over this record. That is not to say that it's a collaboration - far from it - but Cooder's exemplary musicianship and production values are in abundance and nowhere more so on this wonderfully swampy opening track. Featuring Ladysmith Black Mambazo on backing vocals, it's a song that was originally recorded by the Louisiana musician J.B.Lenoir, an artist who was as flamboyant as he was outspoken. Elsewhere, the album sometimes suffers from being a little one-paced but the performances and arrangements are striking and even though Mavis' voice sounds a little ravaged at times, overall she's as soulful as ever. The really sad thing is that the message that this material conveys is still as poignant in 2008 as it was when the songs were first written. Some things never change

ARETHA FRANKLIN - Wholy Holy (1972)



Live albums can be a hit or miss affair. A friend of mine suggests that they are worthless unless you were actually there when the album was recorded, like a snapshot of an individual's personal memory. I don't agree with this idea but I DO agree that too many live albums smack of the "contract obligation" record, released to plug the gap in the absence of any decent new studio material. However, when a live album DOES work it can almost take you from where you are and transport you back to the very night and the very concert hall in which it was originally performed. Albums like "It's Too Late To Stop Now" by Van Morrison, "Live At The Lyceum" by Bob Marley & The Wailers and "Live At The Apollo" by James Brown work partially becuase they capture an artist at the height of their powers, but there's a little more to it than that. The latter is generally regarded as possibly the greatest live album ever becuase it concentrates on the enthusiastic audience as much as it does the performance and consequently captures the spirit of the moment a little better than most albums do. An album that falls into this category is "Amazing Grace" by Aretha Franklin. It was recorded over a 2 day period at the New Temple Missionary Baptist Church in Los Angeles in 1972 with the Reverend James Cleveland, The Southern California Community Choir and a red hot selection of session musicians. It's not too surprising that as a listening experience it's got everything that a good concert album SHOULD have. Aretha is in stunning form, and not only is she singing her beloved gospel music but the intimacy of the setting and the audience's participation is such that you sometimes feel from listening to this record that you've managed to blag a ticket and are sat there amongst the congregation. When "Amazing Grace" was originally issued it featured performances "hand-picked" from the so-called best recordings that the 2-day concerts had produced but now it's available in it's entirety and it's all there - the songs, the introductions, the false starts, a bum note or two, even an impassioned and good-natured speech by Aretha's father during the 2nd evening's concert. "Wholy Holy" by Marvin Gaye is performed twice, but the best version is from the first evening as it's the opening song of the set. After the musical introduction, listen to the impact on the audience as Aretha's stunning vocal unfolds. I must confess that I ain't a religious person, but if this is how you feel when you get it, I want some. Stunning.

ROBERT WYATT - Yesterday Man (1974)
ROBERT WYATT - Just As You Are (2007)





A couple of tracks from that cuddly curmudgeon, Robert Wyatt – an artist who occupies a unique position within British music. Wyatt is a true original who thankfully has been left to his own devices by whichever record company he has been associated with and who consequently has produced some stunning music over the last 30-odd years. In these days of un-originality, Wyatt continues to plow his own proverbial and regularly produces records of a high quality that only he could make. The 1st track shows Wyatt’s powers as an interpreter of other people’s music. Wyatt covering the poptastic Chris Andrews hit seems like an almost improbable combination yet the song belongs to him from the moment the needle hits the groove and is proof that sometimes you can find a decent tune in the most strangest of places if you can be bothered to look hard enough. Of course Wyatt does have a track record of covering unlikely material having secured a hit with his version of The Monkees “I’m A Believer”, recorded just 2 months before this superior "follow up". Since then, Wyatt has graced us with a regular supply of well-crafted and imaginative albums of which 2007's "Comicopera" is probably one of the best that he has issued for some time. The latter track comes from this record and apart from featuring some tasty guitar licks from Paul Weller and a shimmering vocal from Monica Vasconcelos it also bears a strong resemblance to both Kevin Ayres "Whatevershebringswesing", a track that Wyatt provided backing vocals for, and the majestic "Shipbuilding” probably the one item from his back catalogue that most people would be familiar with. It would be a shame however if the Malvinas War lament were the only thing that he is remembered for as there is far far more to this man than that one track. A British treasure.