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THE LATEST ALBUM RELEASES RATED AND REVIEWED

ANGELHEADED HIPSTER: THE SONGS OF MARC BOLAN AND T REX – VARIOUS HHHH

MARC BOLAN was friend and rival to David Bowie, first to find fame and first to number one after he moved from 1960s mystical folk rock duo Tyrannosaurus Rex to the glam rock monster T Rex.

But he’d been left far behind by the time of his death in a car crash two weeks before his 30th birthday in 1977. AngelHeaded Hipster aims to redress the balance and also serves as a celebration of producer Hal Willner, who died of Covid-19 in April. His contacts book secured a mixture of Bolan’s contemporaries (Sir Elton John, Todd Rundgren), later artists influenced by him (Marc Almond, Devendra Banhart) and some unexpected choices (Nick Cave, Perry Farrell) as well as both Sean and Julian Lennon.

Kesha kicks things off with Children Of The Revolution, before Cave produces the album highlight with a fantastic version of Cosmic Dancer. Lucinda Williams slows Life’s A Gas right down and Nena supplies a Motown take on Metal Guru. Not all the tracks hit those heights, but AngelHeaded Hipster will make you want to listen on repeat.

ONE WORLD – BILLY OCEAN

HHH THE Grammy Award winner co-wrote all 12 tracks on the tellingly titled One World, which was recorded in Manchester and New York last year.

The album does not get off to a good start. Opener, We Gotta Find Love features muddy, 80s-style production and jarring thunder and rain effects. Thankfully, Ocean soon hits a stride, riding a taut groove on Feel The Love.

Yet across the album it’s a mixed bag. Ocean soars when he is allowed to showcase his rough, deep voice but flounders under shoddy production and busy orchestration.

ALL THAT EMOTION – HANNAH GEORGAS

HHHH H ALL That Emotion, the latest offering from Ontario native Hannah Georgas, runs the gamut of emotion: suppression, oppression and breaking free.

The National’s Aaron Dessner helps to create layers of dense instrumentation. His hypnotic style and choice of driving, looping drums is a fine accompaniment to Georgas’ tremolo vocals.

Pray It Away recounts her battle with her conservative-leaning family over same-sex marriage and is a stand-out, while Someone I Don’t Know offers dense, beautiful guitars.

This is her most focused and emotionally truthful album yet.