Saturday, 12 March 2022
Bastards of Soul - Corners, album review
In the Balance
This is a beautiful album of sweet soul, knowing lineage in the excellence of its originals, and, sadly, has a tragic backstory with the passing of its frontman Chadwick Murray in September 2021, just after the birth of his first son who he never got to meet.
Not a tribute album as such but certainly covers that with a genuine depth of talent preserved in these recordings. All the soul touchstones are evident in the listening so do not need my signalling.
I would assume it is obvious that I have gleaned these details from reading others’ detailed information and revelations, but it is a genuinely moving story and the music stands entirely on its own as memorable.
An Evening with Silk Sonic, album mention
Cloned OK
As a recreation of oldschool soul and funk, this does it well enough to be an enjoyable listen.
I write this as I am listening to Bastards of Soul Corners, and of course it can be done with originals based on a template and I am most pleased about that.
Balances.
Wednesday, 2 March 2022
Shawn James - A Place In The Unknown, album review
Raucous Road with Sweet Detours
More roar and rock – to invert the tagline for variation (and for context, read my other reviews of James’ music here) – and thankfully there is no change to the raucous provided on this latest, much of that tone delivered yet again through the vocal. Otherwise, the songs are generic in their heaviness: accepting the familiar range. After two weighty openers Ghost (You Don’t Know My Name) and No Blood from a Stone, there is Lead the Way which is a thoughtful if rather naïve examination of America as having lost its way as a world leader (thus the exhortation of its title for a change in order to reclaim…). This is followed by Not Alone, a far less contentious hopefulness to one ruminating on the conventionally romantic, and as rock ballad I do prefer this, including another familiarity in its Country incline. A fine song. Old-school, worship-at-the-Black-Sabbath-alter Sodom and Gomorrah roars back after the lighter asides; The Devil’s Daughter delights in riff and some near-thrash vocal; a cover of War humphs with righteous venom (superb track); there is great grunge in Only Cowards Drop Bombs – and this is the road well-travelled on this album. Penultimate Attached and closer What Dreams May Come do, I have to add, make genuinely beautiful detours.
