STACK Aug #154

MUSIC REVIEWS

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Various Beautiful: A Tribute To Carole King Seven years after Marcia Hines’ Tapestry tribute, a bunch of Aussie artists are saluting Carole King. Eight tracks come from Tapestry , two from King’s 1970 debut Writer , plus covers of a couple of ’60s gems King wrote with then-husband, Gerry Goffin. Vika and Linda Bull get on board The Loco-Motion (which became Kylie’s debut) and Human Nature tackle One Fine Day , which was first a hit for The Chiffons in 1963. Other standouts include Daryl Braithwaite’s take on Up On The Roof and Tina Arena’s So Far Away . And Esther Hannaford, the local star of the Carole King musical, performs the title track. Beautiful, indeed. (Sony) Jeff Jenkins

Sonny Landreth Recorded Live In Lafayette Slide guitarist and singer- songwriter Sonny Landreth plays with a strong zydeco influence, and here showcases his acoustic and electric virtuosity on this career-spanning double album. Playing with the slide on his little finger so that his other fingers have more room to fret behind it, Landreth and his road band – bass, drums, keyboards, guitar, accordion – open proceedings with an acoustic set that includes their arrangement of the blues classic Key To The Highway . The electric repertoire on disc two features several instrumentals of rocking blues, highlighted by a show-stopping version of the Son House classic Walkin' Blues . (Mascot) Billy Pinnell Dan Sultan Killer Killer delivers gospel and blues in a package of tight rock songs. Plumbing these traditions is well- worn territory for those whose instrument of choice is the voice, but few are as ready for it as Sultan; over the past ten years, his records have showcased one of Australia’s strongest and most essential voices. Killer is its greatest exhibition yet. On opener Drover , that voice goes right back to blues’ origins under the beating sun, imagining an Australian plantation song based on the Wave Hill walk-off of Indigenous workers in 1966. On Kingdom , it summons the lingering oppression of Indigenous Australians on their own land. On Reaction , it goes Patrick Stump via Future Islands for one of the year’s most immediate chart-friendly rippers. Killer is poised to sweep up anyone not already on Sultan’s soul train. (Liberation) Jake Cleland

Paul Kelly Life Is Fine

The album opens with some ominous piano. It’s obvious that not everything is fine. As Paul Kelly explains, “I worried about Life Is Fine as a title because life is not fine for everyone. But I like the original meaning of fine, as in life is a fine thread. We never know what is just around the corner.”

Life is precarious, though you can rely on Paul Kelly – “I’m a man with a plan,” he states in Firewood And Candles – but his songs are filled with surprising twists and turns; a Springsteenesque guitar solo in Rising Moon , a delightfully dreamy chorus in Leah: The Sequel , while My Man’s Got A Cold , sung by Vika Bull, is a wry look at the debilitating disease that is man flu. Sonically, Life Is Fine is a throwback to The Coloured Girls of the ’80s, recalling albums such as Under The Sun . It’s a collaborative affair – Kelly wrote four songs with former Ferret Billy Miller – and a muscular sound, with a rumbling rhythm section sweetened by the sublime backing vocals of Vika and Linda Bull. “I might live till 100, I might die soon,” Kelly declares in Rising Moon . Whatever happens, his songs will live on forever. (EMI/Universal) Jeff Jenkins

The Preatures Girlhood

Jen Cloher Jen Cloher Jen Cloher has always been admired for her remarkable

Joan Osborne Songs Of Bob Dylan

The Preatures’ second album is like the soundtrack to a teen movie, with singer Izzi Manfredi telling the coming-of-age story of a Sydney girl. The title track sets the scene with a two-and-a-half- minute blast of nervous energy, sounding like a cross between Blondie and Magic Dirt. But just when you’re expecting a rock record, the four-piece become more reflective, before taking a trip to the dancefloor. And every good teen movie needs a couple of big ballads – check out Magick and Cherry Ripe . Delightfully diverse – the album even features vocals in Italian and the local Indigenous language – Girlhood is one of 2017’s great pop records. (Universal) Jeff Jenkins

For her ninth studio album, singer, songwriter and interpreter of great songs Joan Osborne has mined the Bob Dylan songbook, and arranged each of these 13 tracks to suit the virtuosity of her backing musicians who contribute guitars, keyboards and occasional fiddle. Included are older numbers Tangled Up In Blue , The Mighty Quinn (still a sing-along), a reinvented Highway 61 Revisited , a bluesy Rainy Day Women , the timeless Masters Of War , obscure gems such as Dark Eyes and Buckets Of Rain and some newer songs including Ring Them Bells , Trying To Get To Heaven , and High Water . (CookingVinyl) Billy Pinnell

honesty, one of her defining traits as a musician. On her self-titled fourth album, she's more candid than ever as she reveals her journey towards personal discovery in the wake of some major life experiences. Forgot Myself is a raw account of Cloher’s long-distance relationship, while the sprawling, seven-minute Analysis Paralysis reflects on the government’s continued stance against same-sex marriage. Shoegazers is a critical look at the music industry, and Strong Woman is an empowering number that explores women demanding respect and being in charge of their own lives. At its core, this album is a fierce battle cry from one of the most important voices in Australian music. (Milk! Records) Holly Pereira

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AUGUST 2017

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21/7/17 4:03 pm