reviews of new singers & singer-songwriters page 23

demo Jack Cheshire : Little Moon / Green is the Colour (UK,2006)****

Sometimes I do not find it easy to describe why an artist is good and how it sounds like. I only know I can put the songs on repeat and keep on enjoying them. I should have learned acoustic guitar to be able to describe Jack's guitar playing, or should have a better memory to give a correct reference that gives the right idea, and not just a vague idea. For me, "Little Moon" is like rhythmical poetry, with the guitar pickings, and with the song, a first favourite of mine, like a lullaby or musical box with rich sounds and expressed by a singer with a guitar who succeed to bring forward various harmonies from his guitar, that sound like expressing the chords of the body of the instrument. The guitar is like the full moon, spreading its chords in the air. Slightly romantic and idealized in circumstances I could fall asleep on this musical pillow, with wishful prosperous thoughts. Brilliant. I could only express it with different poetry, which I will not. "Green is the colour" with harmonious picking and rhythmic harmonies like acoustic rock and an orchestra in the guitar has equally rich qualities, with a slightly more rocking association (from rocking asleep to rocking awake)... Very good. (A new talent on the horizon).

demo Jack Cheshire : Love The Eyes / Carousel / Tombs (UK,2006)****

These 3 tracks are other, more calm alternative folk-pop musings, with on “Love the Eyes” the guitar picking this is a bit more linear with the song, in a slowly brushing melodious rhythm. “Carousel” has some band arrangements to it, starting in the second verse (with cello ?, double bass and drumming). This carousel sounds like a metaphor for a slowly moving towards someone, in a romantic way, adapting the rhythms to the combined energy of two persons, until he’s able to bring the other into the circle dance of musings. “Tombs” has a different, more concluding rhythm on the guitar, making sounds as if using a bell sound to what sounds like the clicking of a clock, like an energy of time passing by, towards a closing end. This 3-track EP has a sense of poetry, in a very compact, striving towards-the-essence-way, and seems to be inspired at least with what reflects in the guitar. Talented !

Audio & info : http://www.myspace.com/JackCheshire

Luxotone Rec. Robin O'Brien : Fore -4-track EP- (US,2006)**°

It’s been a while since I heard from Robin O’Brien. I still remember my enthusiasm when checking her tapes, with the, for me, highlighting cooperations with David Mitros. Without David, she’s even more bare and naked, but the help of four-track additional vocal arrangements enrich the songs well. Simple strummed guitar, and simple songs don’t make easily a difference, or revealing easily a deeper core, but the performance and dedication in her voice and many vocal arrangements still succeed to make that difference.

The original recordings were picked from earlier tapes from 80's and '90s.

Audio, info & review : http://cdbaby.com/cd/robinobrien

Info : http://lonelywhistle.tripod.com/lwcatalog/

Label info : http://www.luxotone.com/artists/robinobrien/fore/rb_fore.html

Homepage with audio : http://www.myspace.com/selkebbinnn

Other audiotracks : http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=275196

Other recordings By Robin : http://lonelywhistle.tripod.com/lwcatalog/id5.html

Luxotone Rec. Luxatone & Robin O'Brien : Day -single- (US,2006)***

The group Luxotone did an 8 minute remix on one of Robin’s tracks, “Day”, which will be released as a single soon. Luxatone is a folktronic group, who arranged the “Day” track like a track by Sheila Shandra, with additional droning overtone voices in the background. Such a cooperation really reveals Robin’s talent well. More though, she no longer stand so alone. The song arrangements added warmth, comfort, “Tibetan” meditation, and the last few minutes, an Inuit landscape and an Indian touch. Nice !

Label info : http://www.luxotone.com/artists/robinobrien/fore/rb_fore.html

Other Luxatone review on http://progressive.homestead.com/prog13B.html#anchor_182

Review of 2004 release of O'Brien : http://singersong.homestead.com/newwriters.html#anchor_97

and of a 2001 radioshow on Robin's music : http://singersong.homestead.com/dreamyvoices.html

private Lavender Diamond : The Cavalry Of Light -EP- (US,2006)***'

Lavender Diamond got a lot of attention thanks to this private mini-release. It will be re-released in January 2007 on Matador, and also Rough Trade promised them to release a full record in spring. The group is led by vocalist Becky Stark and features members that were formerly known from groups like Young People, Pink & Brown, Tarentel and The Swirlies.

The group surely has the elements to make it. Additionally, 2 of the four tracks have wonderful string arrangements by Steve Gregoropoulos.

The first track, “You broke my heart” is such a song that you cannot walk around it. It has an attractive melody, an increasing power and energy, but it is also confronting with a very simple fact, that it almost sounds self-indulgent, shameful or misplaced, going over the edge, when showing something that could be interpreted as a voice proud of something weak, when singing “you broke my heart”, almost joyously, as THE statement to be repeated. You could have risked with such a song to be thrown out of a bar for being such a pain in the ass to confirm that so much. But firstly she is a girl, (from a pretty face, this is much more accepted), and secondly, she does not sing at all with a weeping feeling, but with strength, and besides, also, times have changed, so putting the weak point to the front could also be interpreted as a sign of ‘character’, even when nothing is done with the fact. You cannot walk around it ! The band is, with its stomping rhythm, like a modern chamber rock band, and is combining the intimate with a simple but convincing woody banging, and proves again something unusual as a combination. “Please” is accompanied by piano and stringed orchestra. “Rise in the Springtime” is the opposite and a happy ending, a reflection of bringing all things convincingly, to an expressive theatre like stage, reflecting some essence from this group.

Audio : "You Broke My Heart" (or here) , "Rise in the Springtime", "Please"

Homepage : http://www.lavenderdiamond.com/ & with audio : http://myspace.com/lavenderdiamond

Review with 2 audio tracks : http://www.boomkat.com/item.cfm?id=24874

Other reviews : http://www.dustedmagazine.com/reviews/2453

& http://www.prefixmag.com/reviews/cds/L/lavender-diamond/the-cavalry-of-light-ep/2747

Anouncements : http://62.42.344a.static.theplanet.com:9014/article/news/39944

& http://www.mountain7.co.uk/m_blog/index.php?/archives/50-Lavender-Diamond.html

& with audio : http://www.prefixmag.com/blog/prefix/2006/12/01/lotsa-lavender-diamond-news/

& http://www.materialcultures.org/gifted/archives/2005/10/lavender_diamon_1.html

Cosmos Rec. Elaine Palmer : Waves (UK,2006)***'

Clint Boon of Inspiral Carpets after having seen her live, recorded some demos at his home studio, and released them as ‘Into The Spotlight’ on a freshly new label called Booney Tunes. Since the release of this first album, Elaine played with James Blunt, Bonny Prince Billy, King Creosote and Adem, and joined The Greenman and The Wickerman festival of 2005. This is her follow-up album. It features Lambchop members on double bass (John Thorne), cello (Frank Druitt), drums (Brian Edwards) and electric bass (Paul Blakesley), and is engineered and co-produced by Julie McLarnon (Lambchop, Nine Black Alps, King Creosote, Willard Grant Conspiracy, Lone Pigeon, King Creasote,..). She plays gentle classical guitar mostly, but there must be sparsely added arrangements on accordion, harmonium, chimes, fender rhodes, piano and piano strings and percussion. No doubt she has an attractive voice, singing with much consistency about reflective, not always too directing, bittersweet feelings about direct-personal affections, whilst aware of the environment context of the North East coast of England, which made the reference and title for the album.

After the release of this album, Elaine shared stages with Diane Cluck, Jose Gonzales, Donovan, Skygreen Leopards (also on Cosmos Rec.), …and so on.

Audio : "Blue Sky"(or here), "Harbour Of Refuge", "Some Deadly Sin"

Homepage with audio : http://www.elaine-palmer.co.uk/

& http://www.myspace.com/elainepalmer

Label info : http://www.cosmosrecordings.com/pages/artists.htm

Other review : http://www.collectedsounds.com/cdreviews/waves.html

Travelling Music Two Dollar Guitar : The Wear And Tear Of Fear :

A Lover's Discourse (US,2006)**

“Though each love is experienced as unique and though the subject rejects the notion of repeating it elsewhere later on, he sometimes discovers in himself a kind of diffusion of amorous desire; he then realizes he is doomed to wander until he dies, from love to love” says the back cover. Tim Foljahn with no doubt is a wanderer. Homeless and without ever having known a home of comfort (that creatively could develop a way of sustaining, when being responsible for something with a different power of a returning love, on one chosen random potential place that can develop’s life resources), for Tim on a human level, anything to fall back upon seems to be like an undiscovered territory. In the 5 years of the making of this fourth album, showing only little variations and while collecting layers of delicate, only slowly moving guitars (amplified, lapsteel, strummed) with moving around sounds, for real or like ghostly shadows, he himself remained stiff on one spot, dark and desolate, mournful and worn out with feelings and with energy. At the same stagnant spot it still reveals landscapes, certain thoughts, and there is a beginning of creativity that is sustaining, as a form of love that can be loved by listeners..

Audio on http://www.buymusichere.net/...

Label's info : http://smellslikerecords.com/twodollarguitar/?artist=Two%20Dollar%20Guitar

Review with 3 audio tracks : http://www.boomkat.com/item.cfm?id=24239

Other reviews : http://www.stylusmagazine.com/reviews/two-dollar-guitar/the-wear-and-tear-of-fear-a-lovers-discourse.htm & http://www.dustedmagazine.com/reviews/3100

& http://www.heaven.be/2007_1/extra_2007_1_two_dollar_guitar.htm

& http://www.musicemissions.com/artists/albums/index.php?artist_id=1496&album_id=4778

& http://www.musicmule.com/viewtopic.php?t=9594

& http://adequacy.net/review.php?reviewID=7329

& http://www.treblezine.com/reviews/1705.html

Dutch review : http://www.heaven.be/2007_1/extra_2007_1_two_dollar_guitar.htm

NeednowaterCatriona Irving : Running in Empathy / Hindsight -single- (UK,2006)****

This is a two track single of a promising new talented voice, with guitar. The first track is a bit like an entertaining song for children, with a more "(big) girlish" voice. Girlish voices aren't necessarily "childish", but can be sweet and innocent and pure and unspoiled, also when dealing with creativity. "Running on Empathy" is a song with such an "empathy", a lovely lullaby, with rich feelings in the evolution of the song, singing more than with words alone. You get real colour pencils with the single, where, when you will daydream muse on the music, will be able to colour the black and white cover in the meantime (or make a photocopy and do that with each listen). I'm sure that the relationship-related song (saying in some way that if she's needed, you can count on her) "Hindsight" might bring some other female artists in mind, but also here is some clear voice and expression with a purity that is much more rare compared to all those associations, and from which I hope the qualities will be kept strong, during the development of her career. Very nice !

Audio & info : http://www.myspace.com/catrionairving

Label's info : http://www.neednowaterrecords.com/

Other reviews : -

PrivateCatherine Howe : Princelet Street (UK,2006)***°

After Catherine's last album, Dragon Fly Days' (1979), (the only album which didn’t find a reissue lately), she took a distance from the scene for a while, because she had experienced that, when singers don't have enough success labels and managers tend to push them in different directions that don't fit with their character any more, and this much more tends to look like imaginary attempts of the labels with the only matter that counts in the end : the purpose of selling. She always left music in the back of her mind while she was involved in other, more personal aspects of life, like raising her daughter, and while obtaining an Open University degree in history and religion. She also wrote a biography of the 19th century secularist George Holyoake. This interest in historical hanging-together evolutions is noticeable in this new album too. 'Princelet Street' is where her great-grandmother was born, and where her father used to work. As a renewed entrance to the music milieu, this street reference, where she always felt like coming home, became a metaphor for a looking back on the past and seeing what is still there. Her singing sounds matured or transformed, with a wider and also different vocal range, and shows a refreshed, even young energy. The songs vary from acoustic to slightly jazzy with chamber music or poprock arrangements, and a few other style elements, controlled by a self-controlled production process. The portion of melancholy putting herself sometimes (psychologically?) slightly in the background disappeared to be replaced by a realistic nostalgia and wishful hopefulness. This album is a thoughtful, calmly tempered singer-songwriter album, and a convincing return to the market place, with well understandable and recognisable song expressions.

Info on her own website : http://www.catherinehowe.co.uk/princelet-street.htm

or on http://www.properdistribution.com/archive/archive-details.php?pg=7&id=1205

Press info : http://www.pressbox.co.uk/...

Other reviews : http://www.icogitate.com/~celticfolkmusic/uk-CatherineHowe.htm

& http://observer.guardian.co.uk/omm/reviews/story/0,,1992667,00.html & on Amazon

The reissues of the older and previous albums I have reviewed on http://singersong.homestead.com/reissue3.html#anchor_124

private pressing Jack Cheshire : Allow It To Come On (UK,2007)***°

Finally, Jack Cheshire got an official release, not too long after the promising demo’s I have heard before. The song “Little Moon” luckily is included. This attractive song that unconsciously keeps humming in your head, is arranged with hand shakers and wooden ticks, and an emphasized, ever changing in tension of all kinds of picking tunes and themes and sounds of acoustic guitar, and a bit of electric bass. The guitars shake fluently while some rainy sticks hand shake rhythms and ticking wood clicks continue to be added on the next track, “Fireworks”. At times, vocally and for the song tunes I’m reminded of Pat Orchard (“Love”, “My own parade”). The songs gently linger on, with guitar picking arrangements, and some additional hand shakers here and there, with often small spaces for stretching out instrumental musings, and bit of additional production effects here and there or vocal repetition arrangements. Many songs have some catchiness, a bit unclear to say which are the things that makes them really linger on; often it is certain rhythmic evolutions in the melody in the song, while the song subjects tickle a bit more the unconsciousness, in a way they stay with you, in a way that you are drawn back to them again an again, like a friend paying a visit.

Audio & info : http://www.myspace.com/JackCheshire