ALBUM REVIEWS
Chris Stapleton – Higher
Country star Chris Stapleton broke through into the mainstream when he featured on Justin Timberlake’s single Say Something five years ago. Now he is more than holding his own with a back catalogue of four albums plus a growing collection of Grammys and CMA awards. With his own twist on bluegrass, Southern soul and classic rock, Higher is a laid back affair. South Dakota is the dirtiest sounding track and the closest to rock on the album. Stapleton has done a lot of soul searching for this melancholic and introspective offering and The Bottom covers his decision to become sober. Higher doesn’t seem to have any real oomph to proceedings, and it all seems to blend from one song to another which isn’t a bad thing if you are wanting background music, possibly not what you want from an album.
Cat Power – Cat Power Sings Dylan: The 1966 Albert Hall Concert Review by Alex Hoggard
Having previously released three acclaimed collections, Chan Marshall, better known by stage name Cat Power, is no stranger to a covers album. This time she returns with a live, song-for-song recreation of Bob Dylan’s infamous 1966 Royal Albert Hall Concert. Although the Dylan show was held at Manchester Free Trade Hall, a bootleg labelling error saw it forever linked with the iconic London venue where Marshall took to the stage last November to pay tribute to an artist she refers to as “God Dylan”. Although the original performance descended into a battle with the audience over Dylan’s use of an electric guitar and backing band, Cat Power offers a triumphant celebration of an iconic show, and an artist she has deep respect for.
Andrea Bocelli – A Family Christmas (Deluxe Edition) Review by Kristina Wemyss
A Family Christmas feels as though the Bocellis are sitting you by the fireplace with a cup of mulled wine. It’s cosy, fun and wholesome – the best qualities in a Christmas album. The original was a festive best-seller in 2022. This year, Andrea Bocelli teams up with his 11-year-old daughter, Virginia, and 26-year-old son, Matteo, to add four new tracks and six bonus ones. Most are holiday favourites that everyone can join in with, making it the perfect festive soundtrack. Virginia breathes new life into Away In A Manger, leading a series of smooth harmonies. Meanwhile, Matteo leads on a bluesy Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas. Spanish holiday hit Feliz Navidad can do no wrong on a Christmas album, especially with Bocelli’s strong tenor vocals at the helm.
Jeremy Dutcher – Motewolonuwok Review by Matthew George
Jeremy Dutcher’s second album is an ambitious, orchestral work that deserves to bring him to wider attention. The classically-trained composer and activist is a member of Neqotkuk (Tobique First Nation) in Eastern Canada and sings in his native tongue Wolastoqey, an endangered language. But for the first time on Motewolonuwok ,he also writes and sings in English, sometimes switching between the languages, as in the single Pomawsuwinuwok Wonakiyawolotuwok. That translates to “people are rising” and Dutcher sings “we stand up, we stand up” in a resistance song. Ancestors Too Strong, the first track he wrote in English, sees the song’s structure transmute into freewheeling chaos as it reflects on the fear of loss that pervades the modern Indigenous experience.