NEW ALBUMS
A selection of new and reissued guitar releases, including Album Of The Month
PAUL McCARTNEY MCCARTNEY III Universal 8/10
During The Beatles’ heyday Paul McCartney wrote some songs that have become indelible in the fabric of popular music, leaving many other writers back at the starting line. Penny Lane, Yesterday and Here, There And Everywhere alone would be enough to guarantee musical immortality, but his post-Beatles projects have yielded a slew of classics, too. The original album in this loose series of three, McCartney, was released in 1970, and its sequel, McCartney II in 1980, but it took a global pandemic and a rifle through some unfinished songs to produce this latest platter. Paul found a song entitled When Winter Comes, co-produced by George Martin. He decided to revisit and finish it and it takes its place as the album’s closer. Suitably
motivated, he decided to carry on. Rockers like Lavatory Lil and Seize The Day sit alongside ballads like the acoustic The Kiss Of Venus, all of them with a back to basics feel but with McCartney’s watermark of quality and originality running throughout. How does it stack up against Abbey Road or Revolver? Is it even relevant to make that kind of comparison? C’mon, it’s Macca; it’s fun and playful, and it’s a master craftsman at work. [DM]
JOHN SMITH THE FRAY Thirty Tigers 9/10
For stellar songwriter John Smith 2020 had an additional bitter twist. Apart from being forced to cancel around 200 gigs there was illness and loss in his private life to deal with, too. His response was to pick up his songwriter’s pen and sculpt this album. So much exceptional art has been fashioned from hardship, and The Fray can be added to that list. Recorded at Peter Gabriel’s Realworld Studios with a host of socially distanced collaborators including Bill Frisell, The Milk Carton Kids, Sarah Jarosz and Lisa Hanningan, The Fray succeeds on so many levels. Songs like Friends, The Best Of Me (our stand-out), and Just As You Are are bound to become setlist staples when the open road beckons John once again. And we can’t wait. [DM]
JOANNA CONNOR 4801 SOUTH INDIANA AVENUE KTBA Records 9/10
Hailing from Chicago, Joanna Connor is a vibrant slide guitarist and singer. This 10-track CD is her 14th studio album. Recorded in Nashville and released under Joe Bonamassa’s label, Keeping The Blues Alive (KTBA), it’s produced by Joe and Josh Smith. The meeting of the three Js’ guitars is quite something, without ever feeling competitive. Destination is a corker of a track with a burning slide intro and a rousing groove. Come Back Home has an infectious shuffle rhythm, great piano, and seriously greasy slide. Luther Allison’s Bad News is slow burning with plenty of room for Joanne’s vocals and singing slide. Trouble Trouble shows off Josh Smith’s tasty rhythm and lead chops, while Cut You Loose is gritty, clever and gutsy. Closer is It’s My Time, a Josh penned track and quite different to everything else here; a low-key groover with spoken lyrics. If you hanker for authentic blues from a ‘newer’ artist, check this out! [JS]
CLIFF RICHARD AND THE SHADOWS BEST OF THE ROCK’N’ROLL PIONEERS Parlophone 10/10
A compilation CD of Cliff and The Shads is hardly a rare occurrence yet this latest selection is definitely worth a mention. It employs one of the most interesting track selections ever, taking us from the beginning to some live tracks from their 50th Anniversary tour in 2009. Of course the two earliest recordings, Move It and High Class Baby, actually don’t include the Shadows (the Drifters then) but they deserve inclusion. Where this one wins over previous compilations is the use of B-sides, EP tracks and album titles where Hank and the boys have something special to offer. Cases in point are All I Do Is Dream Of You, which features some sublime jazzy guitar from Marvin, and the B-side Say You’re Mine, a very moody affair indeed. Good variety of sounds too as, along with the Strat, Hank used his Burns Marvin and Burns Double 6 (six-string bass and guitar) for On The Beach, and a Gretsch 6122 on A Girl Like You. It’s a satisfactory and well put together collection. [RN]
YES THE ROYAL AFFAIR TOUR LIVE FROM LAS VEGAS BMG Records 8/10
In 2019, Yes completed a US tour that included the Hard Rock Hotel in Vegas. The show was recorded and becomes the latest in a run of live Yes albums. But unlike the others with their ‘complete album’ format this set features classic tracks from 1970-1980, so we are treated to less heard gems like No Opportunity Necessary, Onward, and Going For The One. But the biggest surprise is the inclusion of John Lennon’s Imagine! Guest John Lodge (Moody Blues) joins Jon Davison on vocals for this and it includes a signature solo from Steve Howe. Interestingly, drummer Alan White played on Lennon’s original session! Howe also gets to flex his fingers on his guitar epic America, guaranteed to bring a smile to the face of any player. The whole set is meticulously performed and beautifully mixed, yet it sounds a little ‘safe’. With a band full of seriously good writers, perhaps what we really need is a brand new studio album from Yes! [RN]