STACK #164 June 2018

MUSIC REVIEWS

visit stack.com.au

Neil Young Roxy: Tonight's The Night Live Tonight's The Night , recorded in 1973, was inspired by the heroin deaths of Crazy Horse guitarist Danny Whitten and roadie Bruce Berry, but remained in the can until 1975. Bleak, raw, and intense, it is acknowledged today as a seminal Young album. With one of his greatest bands, the so-called Santa Monica Flyers – Nils Lofgren on guitar and piano and Ben Keith on steel, plus the Crazy Horse rhythm section of drummer Ralph Molina and bassist Billy Talbot – Young performed his yet-to-be-released album live at the famed Los Angeles nightclub The Roxy in September 1973. Now released for the first time, these remarkable performances, punctuated by Young's banter, bring to life one of the greatest

Blackberry Smoke Find A Light Blackberry Smoke are a southern rock/country band from Atlanta, Georgia, and yep: they’re heavy on that sound blend of rock and roll, country and blues. On their sixth album they don’t disappoint but play it real, while still paying homage to their influences, from Lynyrd Skynyrd to Tom Petty. It’s a sound that has a freedom about it; the five-piece do and sound like whatever the hell they want, from hard rockin’ to hippie folkin’ to twangin’ country, with friends like Amanda Shires, Robert Rudolph and The Wood Brothers dropping in to add to the good times. May the

Eva Cassidy Songbird 20

Eva Cassidy, one of music's most popular and loved singers, died of cancer in 1996 aged 33. In her lifetime she released only two albums on small local labels, and was virtually unknown outside her native Washington D.C. Two sets of

circumstances would bring her music to the masses. In 1986, local D.C. recording studio owner and musician Chris Biondo heard Eva singing backing vocals with a local band, and immediately recognised her extraordinary talent. For the next 10 years, he allowed her to record demos for free. Then she died. Two years later, Songbird – a collection of 10 of Eva's recordings compiled by Biondo – was released. It came to the attention of BBC Radio 2 presenter Terry Wogan who played a track, Over The Rainbow , to his eight million regular listeners. Shortly afterwards Songbird was the UK's number one album. Now re-released on its 20th anniversary with four bonus tracks, Songbird 20 includes some of Eva's most popular songs: Fields Of Gold, Autumn Leaves, Songbird , and People Get Ready . (Planet/MGM) Billy Pinnell

Smoke find their light… (ThirtyTigers/Cooking Vinyl) Denise Hylands

rock albums of all time. (Warner) Billy Pinnell

Xavier Rudd Storm Boy

Jet Get Born: Live At The Forum Sometimes it’s all about the scream, and Nic Cester has a great rock ’n’ roll scream. It’s easy to forget just how high Jet were flying when they recorded this live album at Melbourne’s ForumTheatre in 2004; they were at the forefront of the “New Rock” movement that swept the world, and rightly so. Of course, they weren’t reinventing any wheels, preferring to pay homage to the greats that came before them, including AC/DC, The Rolling Stones, The Easybeats and You Am I. Live albums don’t have a lot of currency these days, but this is a very good live record, showing that the Get Born songs are ageing well. (Bloodlines/Mushroom) Jeff Jenkins

Luca Brasi Stay It’s human nature to always want more, right? It’s normal to ponder missed opportunities, isn’t it? Maybe it’s not... it certainly isn’t for Luca Brasi. The Tasmanian four-piece spend much of Stay reminding themselves of what they are grateful for in life – their jobs, their families, shakas, partners and dogs – while staying true to their aspirations as a band. Frontman Tyler Richardson wears the proverbial on his sleeve throughout, offering an audible hug through his uncannily relatable lyrics. “I wanna be someone you can depend upon when everyone is gone,” he roars on Reeling . Recruiting Darren Cordeux (Kisschasy) to co-produce the record, LB’s melodies hit a sweeter spot than ever. As the sombre reflections of Collisions wind down and Bastards begins, the two tracks intertwine beautifully, a shining moment for the album. (CookingVinyl)Tim Lambert

Josh T. Pearson The Straight Hits!

If Paul Simon had grown up on the Australian coast and become a surfing vegetarian, he would sound like Xavier Rudd. There’s a splendid simplicity and gentleness to Rudd’s ninth studio album, but also a deep connection to the world around him. “Walk away from all that you know,” he tells himself in the opening track. Later Rudd acknowledges that “a fork in the road would someday come.” And while this is not quite a new beginning, it’s the sound of consolidation for an artist who’s creating his own remarkable story and sound. It’s the echo of the open highway, disappearing into the heart of the great unknown. (Warner) Jeff Jenkins

Josh T. Pearson has been making music for over two decades. Having said that, The Straight Hits! is only his second solo album and seven years on from his acclaimed debut Last Of The Country Gentlemen – not to forget his short-lived band Lift To Experience. This dapper Texan gentleman decided to leave the myth he had created, so he “learned to dance, take drugs, make love, [and] choose life,” and in doing so offers an album that’s a bit more upbeat than his previous works, interpreting country in so many ways with a dose of noisy rock. 'Straight' is the word found in every song title, but this record is far from it. (Mute) Denise Hylands

060

JUNE 2018

jbhifi.com.au