Curtis Harding - Soul Power

Thanks to the unerring taste of UNCUT April 2015 for bringing this album to my attention - and thanks to Deezer for bringing it to my ears. :)

This is a wonderful example of an under appreciated genre of music. Well, under appreciated by me at least. It is quite possible and quite probable that this type of music gets quite enough recognition and that there is indeed quite a scene for it out there.

For me at least, this started and ended with Lenny Kravitz. Curtis Harding seems to take a step back in having more soul roots than Lenny and embracing that. It still has some fine rock elements in it (which is why I listened to it in the first place) but there are some serious funky guitars and soulful bass licks liberally sprinkled throughout.  Curtis has the wonderful velvet soul voice which is perfect for this type of music. He sounds like an old time gospel singer at some points and of course there is a feeling of blues coming in on the sounds too.

While each song has something to recommend it - standout tracks for me are:

• I Don't Wanna Go Home
• Surf
• Drive My Car
• Cruel World

Ending the album with such a strong track like "Cruel World" makes one want to turn the record over and put it on again.

Very good!

Morrissey - Swords

These are B-sides? Really?

Morrissey always manages to maintain a high quality in his output - even in "B-sides."

His voice has not changed over the years. I would say it has improved in that he has managed to maintain the endearing quality that made it so iconic in the 80s.

His lyrics have continued to remain sharp and witty. The subject matter may have matured a little but even then, he is still standing up in the corner for the underdog and the victim of society's less honourable members.

A lovely collection of none album tracks taken from his trilogy of 'comeback' albums starting with "You are the Quarry."

1001 Albums: Erykah Badu - Mama's Gun

Some of these posts will be about new albums, and some of them will be about old albums that I am hearing for the first time, or old albums I feel I need to say something about.

Erykah Badu's Mama's Gun is on the "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die" list - and for me this warranted a listening.

I was pleasantly surprised by this album. I am not a huge fan of R&B style music but this has something extra to it. It is more than a crooning of runs displaying impressive vocal talents. Erykah's voice is understated and lovely. This is music for a rainy Sunday afternoon.  It has a soft soulful sound and the instrumentation is perfect. At some point it veers a little bit towards hip hop, but in the same understated sort of way that Lauryn Hill veers towards hiphop. This is not a rap album.

I was listening to it on my way to work this morning and I certainly arrived at the office feeling relaxed and at peace.  I cannot recall specific melodies right now, which is normally a point of note for me in evaluating an album. That being said, I think this might be something that comes with repeated listening.  Sometimes the most understated melodies upon first listening then jump out at you while you are in the shower, bed, queue or some other place.

A lot has to be said for the covers of albums.  They can certainly inform you as to what to expect.  This is the case with this album. A close up of Erykah's face with a beige background led me to expect an earthy album with possible reggae roots. Earthy it was - but not reggae.

I liked it and will listen to it again.

Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds - Chasing Yesterday

If there was ever any doubt about who was the talented one in the Gallagher brothers - it is once more evidenced here. Noel is the man.

After the hipocracy of "Dig Out Your Soul" and the variable quality that came with it, here is Noel back and passionate about the songs again.

With nary a filler in the entire album, this sounds like a masterpiece waiting to be recognised.

Very nice Noel.