SOUND JUDGEMENT

THE LATEST ALBUM RELEASES RATED AND REVIEWED

PARTY OVER HERE... LIVE IN LONDON

TERRORVISION

★★★★★

IT’S been 25 years since Terrorvision unleashed How To Make Friends And Influence People and the Yorkshire-based rockers haven’t lost any of their swag and bravado.

Party Over Here... Live In London, the result of a 2018 tour, is everything anyone who loved them the first time could have wished for.

The funk is still there, Tony Wright’s voice doesn’t seem to have changed.

From the slower Some People Say to the anthemic pop rock of Oblivion, Terrorvision are leading the charge as Brit rock returns.

COSMIC WIND LION BABE

★★★ ★★

NEW York-based duo Lion Babe released their debut Begin in 2016. Last year saw the release of singles, funky The Wave and the mellow Honeydew. The latest single Western World is inspired by Pet Shop Boys’ classic West End Girls and is a funky strut through New York streets.

This is funk and soul with a galactic vibe. Its sound is consistent but at times this means tracks merge into one, yet there’s the uplifting, bass-heavy Hit The Ceiling to liven things up, while Different Planet is a slow groove that gets under the skin.

It’s a laidback album perfect for winding down in the early hours.

TALK IS CHEAP (30TH ANNIVERSARY REISSUE) KEITH RICHARDS

★★★ ★★

RICHARDS’ 1988 debut solo album, Talk Is Cheap gave him space to stretch out, slow down and return to his roots. A 30th-anniversary reissue shows why this time away from Mick Jagger was so needed.

Nothing revolutionary here – Dr John-esque voodoo funk and guest appearances from a host of stars, including ParliamentFunkadelic’s Bootsy Collins on bass.

Six previously unreleased tracks show a playful troupe of musicians in full flow. The sound is one of catharsis – like Richards getting it all out of his system. A year later he rejoined Jagger for the Steel Wheels album and a world tour.

Balance had been restored.