STACK #192 Oct 2020

MUSIC REVIEWS

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Casey Burgess Space To Breathe

Robert Plant Digging Deep: Subterranea Strictly a solo affair, this 2CD, 30- song collection includes tracks from Plant's 11 solo albums in addition to three previously unreleased recordings, one a duet with Patti Griffin on Charlie Feathers' rockabilly classic Too Much Alike . Spanning four decades, the album highlights Plant's vocal capabilities without the inherent restraints and expectations of being part of Led Zeppelin. These solo recordings showcase the musician's wide vocal range on songs that explore rock, country, pastoral folk and a variety of influences somewhere in between. Robert Plant is undoubtedly one of the greatest singers of the rock era, and this collection will most certainly enhance that already sterling reputation. (Warner) Billy Pinnell

Casey Burgess sounds like a young artist who was a Savage Garden fan when she was growing up. Her debut album is filled with big ballads and sophisticated, emotional pop. Casey – the daughter of ’70s pop star Ray Burgess and a former member of Hi-5 – made the album in Nashville with Aussie ex-pat Sam Hawksley, who was part of the BoDeans for five years. Burgess wrote all of the songs with Hawksley, while another Aussie ex-pat, Rick Price, joined them to co-write the country-tinged Movin’ On . Space To Breathe is a classy collection of songs about lost love, doubt and disappointment – “when the mirror shows someone you used to like." Fans of Savage Garden and Bachelor Girl should

Keith Urban The Speed Of Now Part 1

Some beats, then some banjo. So starts Keith Urban’s most musically adventurous outing yet, a thrilling mix of new meets old. The opening track, Out The Cage , could be a lockdown anthem, though it might also be about the solitude of the studio. “I miss my friends, I miss the sky,” Urban sings.

It also shows his defiance, declaring: “I won’t let nobody own me.” The Queenslander has been single-minded since starting out on his country road since the early ’90s. After slogging it out in Nashville, he’s now one of the biggest stars Australia has produced, notching up seven Top 10 albums in the US, including two chart-toppers. Urban’s success is no accident, as he crafts classic country pop. As he sings here: “Now you’re caught up in my head, like a melody of the sweetest summer song that we used to sing.” On his 11th studio album, you sense that Urban can’t quite work out whether he’s a good ol’ boy or a contemporary pop act. It could have been an uneasy mix, but somehow it works. There’s a surprise around every corner (including a duet with Pink), and the record ends with the modern country classic We Were , which even includes a shout-out to Def Leppard. “I am who I am,” Urban concludes. (Universal) Jeff Jenkins

immediately investigate. (Ambition) Jeff Jenkins

Various Looking Through A Glass Onion: The Beatles Psychedelic Songbook 1966 - 1972 The arrival in the late 1960s of the psychedelic and progressive era – when rock started to take itself more seriously – resulted in a plethora of musically adventurous interpretations of Beatles' material. Described elsewhere as a 'Fab Four Parallel Universe', this fascinating 3-CD 68-track collection from various UK acts includes re-imaginings of Every Little Thing (Yes), The Fool On The Hill (Stone The Crows feat. Maggie Bell), We Can Work It Out (Deep Purple), I AmThe Walrus (Spooky Tooth), Day Tripper (Don Fardon), If I Needed Someone (The Hollies), Cliff Bennett &The Rebel Rousers' hit single Got To Get You Into My Life , and affectionately, Good Night sung by Vera Lynn. (Planet/MGM) Billy Pinnell

Various Slim & I: Soundtrack Slim & I is a feature film documentary about Slim Dusty and Joy McKean – Dusty, the iconic Australian country music artist, and McKean, the woman behind and beside the man. McKean was not only his life partner, wife and manager, but an excellent singer, musician and songwriter in her own right, who penned many of Slim’s hits. The soundtrack features songs from Joy and Slim’s 50- year catalogue, punctuated with interview excerpts from Joy and guests, Bill and Kasey Chambers, Missy Higgins, Troy Cassar-Daley, Darren Hanlon and others, who share memories, stories and their interpretations of the songs. The film is a must-see and the

Bill Callahan Gold Record Gold Record is Bill Callahan’s

Ella Fitzgerald The Lost Berlin Tapes On November 21st 1934, a 17-year- old singer made her debut on Amateur Night at the famed Apollo Theatre in Manhattan. She intended to go on stage and dance, but at the last moment opted to sing instead. Within one year, her pure tone, assured sense of rhythm, virtuoso scatting and rich ballad delivery had captured American audiences like no one before her. Ella Fitzgerald, whose career sustained until her death in 1996, is known as the First Lady Of Song for good reason. What a delight it is for me to draw STACK readers' attention the release of a never- before-heard live 17-track recording of Ella's 1960 Berlin concert, that includes better-known songs such as Mack The Knife , Summertime , and Cheek to Cheek , as well as some lesser known gems from the Great American Songbook. (Verve) Billy Pinnell

seventh solo album – but his 18th, if you include studio albums released as Smog. Consisting mainly of old and unfinished songs, he’s released one every week leading up to the album release. Callahan’s sound is characteristic, low-fi indie folk/ country vibes, floating deep baritone vocals, minimal instrumentation, and space. The voice will suck you in and the words will linger. Name-checking obvious influences in both vocal presentation and songwriting, first track Pigeons opens with “Hello, I’m Johnny Cash” and ends with “Sincerely, L. Cohen.” Although some may hear Callahan as gloomy and alone, here there seems to be hope and happiness amongst his

soundtrack a must-have. (EMI) Denise Hylands

discovery of domestic bliss. (Draig City) Denise Hylands

90 OCTOBER 2020

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