STACK #202 Aug 2021

MUSIC REVIEWS

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Diesel Alone With Blues

The Screaming Jets All For One (30th Anniversary Edition) “They said you’d never get anywhere,” Dave Gleeson sang on The Screaming Jets’ breakthrough hit, Better . But here he is, 30 years later, singing a new version of the band’s debut album, All For One , which hit number two in 1991 (kept out of top spot by Eurythmics’ Greatest Hits ). A few things have changed in the ensuing decades, with Gleeson and bass player Paul Woseen the only original members. Here they’re joined by guitarists Scott Kingman (Horsehead) and Jimi Hocking, and drummer Cam McGlinchey (Rogue Traders). The result is a ripping rock record that celebrates – and updates – a fine debut. A lot of rock bands have come and gone in the past 30 years. And many critics have dismissed The Screaming Jets. But you know and I know better. (Dinner ForWolves) Jeff Jenkins

Twenty-five years after Short Cool Ones – his collaboration with the late, great Chris Wilson – Diesel has still got the blues. Here he celebrates some of his heroes, including Sam Cooke, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Otis Rush and Magic Sam, but what could have been an unnecessary indulgence is instead fun and inclusive, with Diesel delivering short, sharp takes on his favourite blues songs – check out his captivating cover of John Lee Hooker’s Boogie Chillen’ . And the original, Six Steel Strings – written with Ross Wilson – sits comfortably alongside the classics. “Six steel strings are enough to get me by,” Diesel declares. And this is truly a solo album, with Diesel playing every instrument, including the harmonica as a tribute to Wilson. (Bloodlines) Jeff Jenkins

Tones and I Welcome To The Madhouse

You go from busking the streets to releasing a single that becomes the longest-running chart-topper in Australian music history. It also hits number one in more than 30 countries, and you win four ARIA Awards. Welcome to the madhouse... It’s been an unbelievable couple of years for Toni

Watson, who’s better known as Tones and I. Talk about growing up in public. “And smile,” she sings, “they’re all watching.” The title track of her debut album – which doesn’t include Dance Monkey – documents her remarkable rise. It’s a potent piece of pop, both playful and paranoid. “Welcome to a place you’ve never been, a place you always dreamed of,” she invites the listener in her distinctive voice. “But here, nothing’s as it seems... be careful what you wish for.” The album is both cautionary tale and celebration. “All they wanna do is put me on medication,” she confides in Lonely ; “Writing all this music’s like my form of meditation.” She’s not afraid to share her innermost thoughts – and the record is all the better for it – but instead of being a downer, the album soars with undeniable pop hooks and a savage sense of humour. Yep, Welcome To The Madhouse is a triumph for Tones and I, silencing the doubters who tipped she’d be a One Hit Wonder. As she sings, “Welcome, let the song take you away.” (Sony) Jeff Jenkins

Eric Clapton Eric Clapton (Anniversary deluxe vinyl reissue) When Cream broke up late in 1968 and Blind Faith called it a day a year later, Eric Clapton began jamming with the latter band's opening act Delaney & Bonnie. He eventually joined as an unbilled but hardly unnoticed sideman. Late in 1969, with several members of the Bramlett's band – drummer Jim Gordon, bass guitarist Carl Radle, keyboard player Bobby Whitlock (later to join him in Derek &The Dominos), and friends that included Leon Russell and Stephen Stills (whose solo albums he'd played on) – Clapton recorded his first solo album. Calling on his gospel, blues, R&B, country and pop influences, it includes a cover of J.J.Cale's After Midnight , Let It Rain (a co-write with Russell) and Blues Power , marking Clapton's emergence as a strong lead vocalist. This 4-CD deluxe reissue includes previously unreleased outtakes and rarities. (Polydor) Billy Pinnell

Rick Price Soulville

When you record an original song alongside undeniable classics such as I Heard It Through The Grapevine , (Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay and Stand By Me , it better be good – and Rick Price has crafted an instant classic with Farewell But Not Goodbye . A tribute to soul great Aretha Franklin, the hymn-like track with a hypnotic melody – “a melody of love” – is sure to become a funeral song. Price has always loved soul music (check out his brilliant cover of Walk Away Renée on his debut album), and for his 10th studio album he’s taking us on a trip to Soulville, celebrating the ’60s soul singers who inspired him. Price is a fine soul singer – hear his stunning take on A Change Is Gonna Come – and like his California Dreaming album with Jack Jones, this is a sweet treat. (Sony) Jeff Jenkins

Martha Wainwright Love Will Be Reborn

While navigating a messy divorce, Martha Wainwright found solace in songwriting. As such, her fifth studio album is a raw, deeply personal affair. According to Wainwright, the record’s title track poured out a few years ago: “I wrote the song in its entirety within ten or 15 minutes. I was bawling.” Before she had even

recorded this song, performing it live instilled hope: “There is love in every part of me, I know/ But the key has fallen deep into the snow/ So when the Spring comes I will find it, and unlock my heart to rewind it.” During opener Middle Of The Lake , Wainwright’s soaring, melismatic singing evokes Kate Bush. Over gentle strumming and sparse percussion, Report Card recounts the gaping loneliness Wainwright experienced while separated from her children due to custody arrangements (“I hope you’ll miss me as much as I miss you... And if I seem sad, it’s because I am“). On the Franglais closer Falaise de Malaise , Wainwright accompanies herself on piano for the first time. Make no mistake about it, Love Will Be Reborn isn’t merely a breakup album. Songs inspired by the giddy rush of new love – including Getting Older and the euphoric, upbeat Hole In My Heart – usher in a renewed sense of optimism. Musically, Wainwright has always run her own race. Love Is Reborn requires full immersion. Not for casual listening. (CookingVinyl) Bryget Chrisfield

24 AUGUST 2021

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