Music reviews
Robert Plant Carry Fire (Warner) ★★★ Yes, the former Led Zeppelin frontman does still carry the fire. Part of that is because, as he’s aged, he’s found other generic outlets to explore – ergo Raising Sand, the timeless country-infused album with Alison Krauss. On Carry Fire – though they are not credited – he teams up for the second time with The Crazy Sensational Space Shifters, on an album that never over-reaches, where songs such as Dance With You and Bluebird Over the Mountain, featuring Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders, are intimate and warm with the flicker of an emotional flame. One of the more adventurous and mysterious tracks, Heaven Sent, slowburns over fuzzy electronics and guitars, which surrenders the old to the new. – Mike Alexander Greg Fleming and the Working Poor Working Poor Country (Forget The Past Records) ★★★★ Greg Fleming is on something of a hot streak. The Kiwi altcountry stylist released the semi-noir To Hell With These Streets last year and he’s already back again with the super-country Working Poor Country. Fleming’s specialty is Americana and here he doesn’t hold back on a gritty album, with crunching guitar rockers mixed with slow, tear-in-your beer numbers. Nothin’ ‘Bout You , a classic lusty bar-room rocker, kicks things off with a bang. Headlights, with its shuffling drums and sizzling acoustic slide is next, followed by the rocking title track. The band is excellent and it’s easy to get the feeling that many of these songs would sound great live. A solid effort. – Jack Barlow ★★★ The Californian gothic rock queen offers what’s most probably her heaviest record to date. Hiss Spun borders on pure sludge metal with a doomy and distorted aesthetic. Recorded by Converge guitarist and heavy music production king Kurt Ballou, Chelsea’s eerie and cathartic voice climbs and crawls through a wall of gritty goth mania. While there’s no shortage of gloomy songwriters in the alternative music world, Wolfe takes her mood to another realm with a range of stunning guitar tones and harsh noise. Despite being from one of the sunnier parts of the world this is no album for your summer road trip. Yet the haunting mood of Hiss Spun will surely leave you craving a darker kind of weather. – Hugh Collins