ALBUMS OF THE YEAR 2010 No. 2 – THE BLACK KEYS – Brothers

The air is laden with inevitability with me for this selection. It’s been lingering for five years or more admittedly, from their earliest days The Black Keys have been peddling a brand of Blues-Rock that’s way ahead of their contemporaries, theirs being a far purer grain than even the old hands can summon in the modern age. But there’s been more to it than that of late; throughout 2009, with the exceptional solo album by Dan Auerbach and the incredible Rap collaboration project Blakroc, there gathered the distinct sense that something special was stirring in the Black Keys camp. With the album ‘Brothers’ all that mouth watering anticipation finally delivered us a classic. Everything they’ve ever aimed for is realised here, that is if the aim was to conjure the moment in the late 60s when Blues was psychedelicised and bursting with limitless electricity fuelled possibility. When Muddy Waters recorded one of Chess Records defining albums in ‘Electric Mud’ (and an album that the early Hip-Hop pacemakers frequently turned to incidentally) and Howlin’ Wolf put out the album from which the Black Keys have parodied on their own sleeve here. But if the solid execution of finding that rare groove wasn’t enough, the package is completed with the songs, of which every single one is a winner. In a perfect world the sultry, falsetto sung ‘The Only One’ would be rotated by every credible Soul DJ the world over, Jack White would be busy taking notes on the ‘Howlin’ For You’ fuzz guitar and ‘Tighten Up’ could be basking in the glory of being one of the singles of the year. There’s nothing to say the Black Keys won’t go even further from this point on but at least, with ‘Brothers’, they have already rubbed shoulders with perfection. Don’t miss out on this one!

Free music - Brothers (Deluxe Edition)

ALBUMS OF THE YEAR 2010 No. 3 – ANAIS MITCHELL – Hadestown

We’ve already documented some seriously credible examples of why the album length music format survives as an important art form in the modern musical environment. They don’t always have to be laden with deep concept, but the idea that a suite of songs sequenced so that it matters which track follows which, wrapped up in an eye catching or thought provoking package needs to be maintained. In 2010 the artist who made best use of this long established method was Anais Mitchell with her “Folk-Opera” ‘Hadestown’. The combination of the words ‘folk’ and ‘opera’ alone are enough to send most fleeing to the nearest exit but wait; this is a 20 song story cycle that is bursting with entertaining songs, music and concise storytelling. Using as its starting point the Ancient Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, we are told of how Orpheus undertakes a mission to save his wife Eurydice from the underworld. In truth folk and opera rarely come into the overall makeup, this is much closer to a 70s style Rock Opera, albeit one with a tangible acoustic roots vibe, a West End musicals flare for memorable melodic infectiousness and a Rock ‘n’ Roll heartbeat. The original ‘Hadestown’ was toured in New England on stage with a 22 strong cast and this album has been adapted from those shows. Here the characters are played by Justin Vernon (AKA Bon Iver’s mainman) who sings the Orpheus part, Ani DiFranco plays Persephone, Greg Brown is Hades with Mitchell herself singing Eurydice. In 2010 it has been an underground hit but has yet to make the kind of widescale impact it so richly deserves. It’s not enough that the ‘Hadestown’ legacy is a cultish one, appreciated by a clued-up few. There’s nothing here, musically especially, that couldn’t reach out to a very large audience indeed. My six-year-old daughter sings the chorus to the title track long after the CD has finished playing. In January Anais Mitchell plays a couple of low key ‘Hadestown’ performance dates in London with the assistance of some notable UK folk names. So this is a call to arms; get on board now and support this project, let’s help give the ‘Folk-Opera’ worlds signature piece of work the long life it deserves and not rest until there’s been a run in the West End. I’m serious, the paying public tolerated a Ben Elton musical about Queen, they tolerate X Factor christmas singles, they allow Billy-Ray Cyrus’s daughter to corrupt the impressionable minds of their children; maybe just once they might react positively if something really good was thrust upon them? It’s a long shot for sure but it has to be worth a try.

Free music - Hadestown

ALBUMS OF THE YEAR 2010 No. 4 – JOANNA NEWSOM – Have One On Me

Here we go again; it’s a triple album epic, a narrative driven opus and a work of such colossal depth that it simply cannot be dipped into casually. Our Top 20 of the year is not purely judged on albums having great length, an overall concept, a degree of difficulty or some effort required of the listener to enjoy (our Top 2 albums will prove as much) but ‘Have One On Me’ is musically and lyrically a work of impossible ambition and Joanna Newsom had the wherewithal to pull it off. So many have written about the supposed quirky nature of Joanna’s voice, how hard it makes her music to enjoy and how it almost puts up a brick wall when approaching her work. I heard all those points and it made me a touch reticent in those unenlightened days when she was unknown to me. It’s such a lot of rubbish though really, hard to fathom how we could find her style so unusual after vocally similar artists like Joni Mitchell and Kate Bush have seen major success. The consensus seemed to be that with someone as out-of-the-ordinary as Joanna, a whole triple albums worth of material would be hard to stomach; she needs sampling in small doses. Well I’ll dispel that myth as my media player has easily clocked up plays well into double figures and I’ll happily confirm that every time I easily digested the whole album from start to finish. There’s a progression in the text after all, an angular poetic relationship study that is never going to reveal its depth that quickly and even less so if the pieces are heard out sequence. Serious drama abounds in the music too; take our example below ‘Soft As Chalk’. It would appear that there’s a pivotal moment of separation being illustrated here and the way the piano moves from warm chords to graceful then adrenalized tempo and pent-up Ragtime style is totally sumptuous. All over the music is a constantly evolving delight; Newsoms Harp playing a unique trademark element combined with strings, trumpet and other light touches of incredible all round accompaniment. This is a major piece of work, a classic.

ALBUMS OF THE YEAR 2010 No. 5 – BRAD MEHLDAU – Highway Rider

In a year when a healthy crop of large scale, ambitious, conceptual albums have vied for attention this was a sensational stand out epic. A double album that throughout its hour and forty minutes maintains a unifying melodic, vanilla tone; frequently sweeping you away with waves of graceful elegance, both joyful and mournful in feeling. Mehldau conducts this triumph from the piano with bundles of technical and infectious style but the real masterstroke lies in the way ‘Highway Rider’ defies strict categorization. This is Jazz at heart for sure, but the dexterity in composition with the orchestral strings and the way they blast open the scope of this music is definitely of a Classical standard. Yet there’s other stuff working into the mix as well; not least a tangible Folk-Rock vibe that appears in conjunction with the pump-organ and piano sound that crops up occasionally. Indeed Elliott Smith does get a nod here on ‘Sky Turning Grey’. All in all this album stands as a landmark achievement in the career of Brad Mehldau and an important piece of new 21^st Century composition as well. It’s a work that cleverly cross-pollinates a multitude of styles and genres that have gone before without once sacrificing the heart and soul of a beautiful, expansive and richly rewarding piece; something that should appeal to music lovers across the board. Take some time and listen below:

Free music - Highway Rider

ALBUMS OF THE YEAR 2010 No. 6 – GORILLAZ – Plastic Beach

We’ll be covering this one more in depth in 2011 as our focus on Damon Albarn carries on in chronological order. But for now, what’s to justify the stature of ‘Plastic Beach’ as an essential album of 2010? Well first off it’s an exceptionally well executed concept album with a loose ecological theme. Then there’s the fact that Albarn has quietly moved the Gorillaz concept on here by effectively sidelining the cartoon band premise and shifting the focus onto what an incredible ensemble piece his set up has become. And with some justification; when you’ve got artists of the stature of Bobby Womack, Lou Reed and De La Soul not just willing to make relatively small cameo appearances on the album but to regularly recreate their roles in a live situation throughout 2010 then that should tell you what high esteem Albarn has gradually earned for himself. Not just that but if you’ve got The Clash’s Mick Jones and Paul Simonon willing to flank you on bass and guitar, mincing around in seafaring attire, wouldn’t most band leaders jump at the chance of grabbing a bit of their own spotlight? Most significantly of all though is that ‘Plastic Beach’ has seen Damon return to some of his most beautifully reflective songwriting (‘On Melancholy Hill’) as well as push the Hip-Hop boundaries a little with the addition of World Music and Classical styles to the soundstorm. ‘Plastic Beach’ took a knock or two in some areas because it lacked, unlike the two previous major Gorillaz releases, one or two massive, infectious hit singles. If you’re a fan of the album as a journey approach though this is a major boon because there’s nothing that takes you out of the general track-to-track progression. This is a great piece of work basically, have a listen below:

Free music - Plastic Beach

ALBUMS OF THE YEAR 2010 No. 7 – JAMES RHODES – Now Would All Freudians Please Stand Aside

At Latitude festival this year James Rhodes was unfortunate enough to be stuck performing within range of the sound system of a monstrous headline set by Florence & The Machine. He winced as he took to the stage, swearing about her “racket” and defying the odds by holding his concentration whilst playing solo piano pieces. That’s more than most of the audience managed frankly; attention was frequently diverted by outbursts of Florence and her over-rated bucket belching routine. Rhodes set seemed incredible, from what managed to cut through the aural fog. I’m sure he played a blinder actually, but overall everyone would surely concede that he and his modest audience lost the battle to the mainstream assault. On the positive side though, he might just win the war. If someone has set themselves perfectly situated to push classical music back into more popularist waters this year it’s James Rhodes. If I had to put money on he or old Florence still having a viable music career in ten years time, he’d get my money every time!

His winning formula is not simply the modern dress sense, the lack of pretence and snobbery although these definitely all help. It’s simply in the way that he puts his soul and emotion into every piece he plays, and if you’re lucky enough to catch him live he’ll convey the relevance of these pieces in a way that you rarely encounter on the classical circuit, where it is generally assumed the audience know what was going through Beethoven’s mind while composing. With that considered, until the day when digital sleevenotes are a given, I’d point you towards the physical version of this album where Rhodes own written text is a vital complimentary component. To my ears however, his biggest asset is in his approach to piano playing. It could be because he’s well versed in modern music too, but something in the way he’ll literally thrash away at the keys during those high tempo moments is more Jerry Lee Lewis than Lang Lang. It’s with that abandon that James Rhodes effectively resuscitates classical texts back into living, breathing progressive monsters that demand attention. I’m sure he’s going to be getting a lot more over the next few years. Have a listen below:

Free music - Now Would All Freudians Please Stand Aside

ALBUMS OF THE YEAR 2010 No. 8 – LAURA MARLING – I Speak Because I Can

I don’t know what kind of deal with the devil Laura Marling struck down at the crossroads before making this album but it’s worked. It probably involved a pact that will prevent her future acceptance by the hardcore folk crowd; you know the Daily Mail loving, rugby tops and sensible boating shoes brigade who rate the terminally lame yet polite folkies such as Kate Rusby and Show Of Hands. In return though Laura Marling has got to make one of the best folk albums of the 21^st Century; one with Rock-balls that’ll frighten the life out of the staid traditionalists. It’s not that her previous work wasn’t any good, nor was it arts and craftsy knitwear folk but she hadn’t really stood out as being anything out of the ordinary either. This has all changed with ‘I Speak Because I Can’. Somewhere along the line Marling clearly drank from the fountain of early Fairport Convention, sat at the table of Nick Drake, summoned the essence of those first few Leonard Cohen albums and reached to the skies for some kind of perfect Folk-Rock nirvana. She’s made a great album basically and it’s brought with it some deserved high profile attention and praise. So much in fact that it’s doubtful her number 8 position in the Essex Boy Review chart will mean that much! The best I can do then is just point anyone yet to hear this marvellous album to the player below and recommend you check out the whole wonderful lot of it.

Free music - I Speak Because I Can

ALBUMS OF THE YEAR 2010 No. 9 – THE ROOTS – How I Got Over

“Out on the streets where I grew up. First thing they teach us is not to give a f*!k. That type of thinking can’t get you nowhere, someone has to care.”

With ‘How I Got Over’, The Roots have held up Hip-Hop and Rap as a music art form with something to say. Don’t come here if you want your rappers bigging up their wealth and their harem of bitches. Don’t expect a collective who can’t put down a decent vocal without the assistance of Autotune. Their vision isn’t softened with the glitz of a joyous lifestyle. They actually paint one of the harshest portraits of the troubled, tumultuous times we live in and it’s utterly compelling. They point the finger too, at “technology turning us into zombies”, at the messed up economy, the environment and when easy answers aren’t forthcoming they’re looking to God and wondering “why is the world ugly when you made it in your image?” But they don’t lay low beaten by the failure and broken world around us; just hear ‘The Day’ to witness cracks of light breaking through the debris and a clearer vision drifting in, accompanied by the sweetest soul sounds you’ll ever hear.

The success of this album is threefold. Firstly it’s in the way The Roots tap into the side of the Rap tradition that can be traced right back to the earliest Bluesmen of the 1920s, throwing a harsh realistic light on the ills of the times we live in. Secondly they’re just so amazing in their eclecticism, you believe these guys when they rap about listening to Charlie Parker, this is no mere name dropping. Who could have thought a Monsters Of Folk meditation on God could be utilised with such cinematic vision? Who would have thought that anyone could make Joanna Newsom sound like a streetwise Soul diva? Personally; who would have imagined I could enjoy a record with John Legend on it? And finally, whilst The Roots are by no means breaking down barriers by being essentially a Rap and Hip-Hop act that use live instruments but, they are leading the field here by virtue of the fact that they’re so shit hot at it. Apparently they regularly feature on a popular US chat show where the host challenges them to jam in a musical genre of his choosing. You’re not going to get that from The Editors now are you? Listen to the whole album below:

Free music - How I Got Over (Explicit Version)

ALBUMS OF THE YEAR 2010 No. 10 – ROBERT PLANT – Band Of Joy

Ten years ago I watched Robert Plant touring his Priory Of Brion band, playing a spellbinding set of 60s Acid-Rock and Folk-Rock that included versions of Love’s ‘A House Is Not A Motel’ and Donovan’s ‘Season Of The Witch’. Although surprised that all had gone quiet on the Zeppelin friendly Jimmy Page collaborations, if this was to be Plants’ new direction then bring it on. The open minded sensibilities of that late 60s golden period sat well with Plant, seemed to sum up what he was all about musically and close the circle on the journey his 30+ year had taken to that point. But then nothing happened with The Priory Of Brion, it seemed Plant was just having a bit of nostalgic fun while in a state of flux. The ensuing ten years have thrown up a couple of delightful turns in his voyage but luckily, with Band Of Joy, it appears the Acid-Rock seeds sown back in 2000 have been gently fermenting in the back of his mind.

There’s nothing that firmly attaches it to a style or period (in the way that the Len Price 3 album certainly does). Nevertheless the roots of the work lay in the Psychedelic heyday for sure, something Plant is giving us a heads up with by re-adopting the name of his pre-Zeppelin band. Then there’s the broad musical palate that works with Heavy-Rock and Blues as merely a starting point. ‘You Can’t Buy My Love’ is so unashamedly Beatles it’ll probably appear on a ‘Nuggets’ set sometime in the future while ‘Falling In Love Again’ has a delicious hint of Doo-Wop amidst the balladry. And as if to prove his wildly eclectic tastes he rescues the obscurity ‘House Of Cards’ from one of Richard Thompson’s rather harshly unloved 1970s albums. You can’t offer an appreciation of this album without giving a nod to the guitar and production of Buddy Miller; he’s bottled the essence of the leading artist every bit as effectively as Daniel Lanois has with Bob Dylan in the past. Also Patty Griffin’s vocals sit nicely behind Robert’s throughout, retaining for this set some of the feel many would have loved on the Alison Krauss album. Above all, you sense that Robert Plant has settled in a place he feels best suits his vision and hope that the Band Of Joy have a bit more in them yet. Listen to the whole album here:

Free music - Band Of Joy

ALBUMS OF THE YEAR 2010 No. 11 – ISOBEL CAMPBELL & MARK LANEGAN – Hawk

Now onto their third album as a working partnership, Campbell and Lanegan are proving to have significantly more mileage than could have been predicted four years ago. This is largely thanks to the dynamics of their set up, with Mark Lanegan seemingly at ease with his role as Isobel’s gravelly and menacing second-in-command. That his delivery is a well balanced opposite to her floating, delicate vocals has been proved beyond doubt before, but the achievement in ‘Hawk’ is in how it moves the partnership on from what’s gone before. Campbell is in charge of all songwriting duties aside from a couple of well judged Townes Van Zandt covers that Lanegan in particular sounds at home with, but she’s also bossing the whole picture and displaying some real production flare as she goes. Gone are the days when the paring simply laid bare her love of the records Lee Hazlewood made with Nancy Sinatra. This one blows the game wide open and it’s a mouth watering prospect to hear Campbell speak of how calling the shots in a production role feels increasingly natural to her.

What you get here is a pronounced Country-Rock hybrid pulling in subtle influences from far and wide. ‘Come Undone’, one of the best duet ballads here, pumps along with R&B piano chords and strings that’ll put a spell on you. ‘Get Behind Me’ retro rocks before ‘Time Of The Season’ shows up, a surprisingly well executed festive jaunt in the style of The Walker Brothers or the poppier, lushly produced Glen Campbell. Kind of cosy and very 1970s, it could well become a Christmas classic once the yuletide compilations start picking up on it in about 8-10 years time. ‘To Hell & Back’ finds Campbell soloing again with big juicy acoustic guitar strummed with purpose and a hollow, spacey beat recalling the Phil Spector wall-of-sound. By contrast ‘Cool Water’ is so close up on Lanegan’s sleepy voice the effect is pretty claustrophobic and intense. Closing tune ‘Lately’ swoops down brilliantly on the ‘Nashville Skyline’ sound of Bob Dylan, one of the most pleasing periods in his recording career but rarely summoned with as much joy as Campbell injects here. In the end you could pretty much call this Isobel Campbell’s calling card; whether out front or behind the desk great things are surely ahead of her. Listen to the whole of ‘Hawk’ here:

Free music - Hawk

ALBUMS OF THE YEAR 2010 No. 12 – LEN PRICE 3 – Pictures

This is so derivative, so out of time and rooted in 60s pop that it doesn’t have a hope in hell of getting anywhere near mainstream radio; which for a band making upbeat popular music, in attitude if not reality, is a crying shame. Maybe they’re problem is that they are just so damn good at this; title track ‘Pictures’ is so like The Who that it could be repackaged and resold as a rare lost 60s outtake. You also catch snatches of The Beatles, The Kinks, The Monkees and pretty much every beat combo who ever had a love for Mod sounds in their heart flying around in abundance. But why should that matter? There hasn’t been a genuinely new sound or style emerge for about 15 years now (there’s Drum’n’bass elements that can be traced back to the more far out excursions on Miles Davis later work and as for Grime, come off it). All that matters is that the Len Price 3 are writing some great songs here and the fact that their reference points are nearly fifty years old is an irrelevance; in fact if you love those sounds it’s a massive bonus. They could probably lose a bit of the Sid James-like cockney dialect; “some old twaddle” may well be a half decent rhyme for “could be a model” but it does further marginalise them as a revivalist act, which they do not deserve. Near the end of the album you get a surprise gear change that proves the Len Price 3 have the ears and imagination to take their musical journey a whole lot further. The song in question, ‘Jack In The Greens’, is as near to perfect as I’ve heard an emulation of the sound and heavy-hearted feel of Elliott Smith, a real beauty of a song. Think about it, authentic 60s style Beat and Mod married to the unique sound of a Post-Punk singer-songwriter could be viewed as something we’ve never actually heard before? Or you might just do away with all analysis (old twaddle) and get off on the energy and thrill of a killer guitar-pop band zoning in on the greatest pop sound ever. Have it!

ALBUMS OF THE YEAR 2010 No. 13 – ALOE BLACC – Good Things

The New Soul, with a retro vibe, field seems to be further populating in 2010, much more of this and we might even have a ‘movement’ on our hands with Motown Revue style concerts etc. Quite a mouth watering prospect when you think about it. In particular two of the leading lights from previous years, Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings and Eli Paperboy Reed, have put out albums this year that really consolidated their positions. If one man stole their thunder though it had to be Aloe Blacc, whose ‘Good Things’ album won him some richly deserved attention. First getting a heads up when Mark Lamarr started championing the insistent ‘I Need A Dollar’ (he’ll be missed next year I tell you), Aloe went on to prove those credentials holding his own on live mainstream UK TV alongside a star studded line up of Paul McCartney, Neil Diamond, Elvis Costello and The Black Keys.

The album succeeds because it manages to sound thoroughly contemporary, not a mere nostalgia fest. Aloe Blacc demonstrates that he has an ear for older, diverse sounds by delicate means. The clues are there though, quite clearly with the instrumental reprise track ‘Politician’ which is a psychedelic fanfare in all but name. It can be deduced in the fact that he covers the Velvet Underground classic ‘Femme Fatale’ and makes such a convincing job of it that you’d nearly believe the song started life as an achingly beautiful Soul number. Above all though this is an album packed with killer tunes played with proper guts and soul; an old fashioned trick in itself. The production manages to give off an analogue warmth simply by doing the basics really well, there are no unnecessary Dance or Urban references and the unsavoury aspects of 21^st Century R&B like Autotune vocals are steered well clear of. Aloe Blacc plays it like a musical purist and all music lovers of a similar mind should find good things aplenty with this one. Have a listen to the whole album here:

Free music - Good Things

ALBUMS OF THE YEAR 2010 No. 14 – NIGEL KENNEDY QUINTET – Shhh!

Nigel Kennedy has for a long time made clear his mission to fuse together the worlds of classical, rock and jazz. In so doing he has worked wonders for classical music, surely standing alone these past 20 years as a figure who has brought the music to people who may not have previously paid it any attention. Some classical purists may have turned their noses up at his punk attire but they ignore the fact that the rather stuffy, formal dress code normally adopted in their world can give off the air of exclusivity. Of course Kennedy can silence any doubter with his prodigious talent on the violin but it could be argued, despite previous work on Hendrix material and his stylised ‘Blue Note Sessions’, that the moves towards jazz and rock have never been as fully realised as the classical excursions. Until now that is.

‘Shhh!’ is an out-and-out jazz-rock odyssey that works because it firmly places Kennedy as a vital cog in the ensemble, adding texture rather than constantly leading. When he does take centre stage there’s absolutely no pointless virtuoso showboating, displaying a real restraint in his playing and a feel for the mood of the particular piece. This helps the quintet make sense as an authentic jazz unit, you get heaps of electric guitar and keyboard as well as driving rhythm. Opener ‘Transfiguration’ shows how closely Kennedy has studied the methods of those classic Blue Note albums of the 50s and 60s. Playing the main theme on violin at the beginning and end while, for 8-9 minutes in-between, the whole group get to cut loose with some thrilling improvisations. By contrast the version of Nick Drake’s ‘Riverman’ is fairly respectful to the original, as if kennedy is saying that if you’re working with perfection there’s little point in trying to improve upon it. That track also features a notable guest appearance from Boy George delivering one of the vocal performances of his career. The middle of the album softens up and allows the romantic, melodic style of Kennedy to flourish but by the time we hit the end with ‘Oy!’ (which sounds exactly as its title suggests it should) the Nigel Kennedy Quintet are rocking a fat one in your face. Nice!

ALBUMS OF THE YEAR 2010 No. 15 – MAVIS STAPLES – You Are Not Alone

When a legacy artist like Mavis Staples records a new album, they really face an uphill struggle. After all, she’s going to have to pull off something special to overshadow the legendary work put down with The Staples Singers all those years. When your work leans towards interpretation and traditional material and away from new songwriting and you’ve a famous back catalogue behind you it would be understandable if hitting the artistic peaks of your past appears an ambition too far. The way this album starts with a version of ‘Don’t Knock’, done way back by the Staples Singers, it’s as if Mavis is daring the listener not to entertain those thoughts. She had her mojo working back then and it's working now.

The reason for such confidence can at least partly be attributed to the production job worked by Wilco main man Jeff Tweedy. In terms of credibility in 2010, it’s akin to securing the services of Bob Dylan or Neil Young in the 70s. And Jeff proves he’s the man for the job because, above all, he understands music. There’s way too much of a tendency today to leave the musical genres locked down in their little boxes. That late 60s attitude of Rock, Pop, Soul & Psych all belonging in the same bag, borrowing from and inspiring each other to do great things didn’t last very long. Nowadays the R&B artists make music for Dance orientated R&B and, if watered down enough, mainstream pop radio and that’s it. That’s why the marriage of the Soul and Gospel vibe Mavis Staples oozes before she’s even sung a note to Jeff Tweedy’s analogue hearted, rough and raw Rock edge brings us something that’s totally fresh sounding today. The spell is spun not just by the fact that Tweedy wrote two great songs for the album, including the soon-to-be classic title track. It’s there in the crunching electric guitars of Gospel styled track ‘Creep Along Moses’ and the down’n’dirty fuzz that makes ‘Only The Lord Knows’ just so damn delicious! Above all it’s just great to have one of the best Soul voices of our time still making brilliant music like this. You can listen to two full tracks, including 'You Are Not Alone', and a preview of the rest of the album here:

Free music - You Are Not Alone

ALBUMS OF THE YEAR 2010 No. 16 – TINDERSTICKS – Falling Down A Mountain

I doubt this will ever be regarded as a defining album in the Tindersticks career, it also seems to have failed to catapult them into any sort of wider recognition, but it remains one of both theirs and 2010’s finest. How have they achieved this? Largely by making a very stylistically adventurous Tindersticks album whilst remaining unmistakeably themselves. I’m not saying it’s ‘The Tindersticks Party Album’ (remember that on Mark & Lard?) but a song like ‘Harmony Around My Table’ is easily one of the most uplifting things they’ve ever done. With a vocalist whose tone is as relentlessly mournful as Stuart Staples though, you can’t help but suspect there’s an underlying sadness to the lyric even when on the surface all is rosy: “I found a penny, I picked it up”. Across the album the band cover a range that runs from Country to Lounge to Rock. In fact it’s the latter that impresses the most with two later tracks, ‘Black Smoke’ and ‘No Place So Alone’ literally soaring with savage electric intent.

The instrumental stuff here is vital as well, no mere filler or link tracks, this is heavy duty composition tailor made for a film or TV drama soundtrack to pick up on. The album closer ‘Piano Music’ is simply lush, atmospheric strings swirling and meshing with gently picked keyboard notes and a stunning piece of moody music indeed. Further proof that the Tindersticks are a fully formed sound making entity who, like so many of the truly great bands, can turn their hand at a wide range of stylings and genres. You can listen to the whole of ‘Falling Down A Mountain’ here:

Free music - Falling Down A Mountain

ALBUMS OF THE YEAR 2010 No. 17 - FRAZEY FORD - Obadiah

We've already written on 'Essex Boy Review' about this outstanding album but it's made out Top 20 so here we are again! The thing with Frazey Ford that really stood out and maintained the interest after repeated plays was the standard of songwriting. That she covers the classic Bob Dylan tune ‘One More Cup Of Coffee’ and it’s one of the weaker tracks here should tell you enough but there’s more. The title track ‘Firecracker’ paints a picture of booze fuelled bravado with a hint of doubt and reflection, but you just get the feeling that there’s so much more going on beneath the lyrics that can only reveal itself over time. A seriously great song and the others don’t let the side down either but then it’s not just the songwriting; this ladies got soul!

From start to finish if a track isn’t being pumped along to a raw seventies soul groove, hip-swaying drums with fruity organ and funky guitar chops, then even a slower number oozes the warm feel of a great soul ballad. You know Frazey could burst into a short refrain of Ann Peebles’ ‘I Can’t Stand The Rain’ over one of the fade-outs here and it wouldn’t sound wrong. ‘Blue Streak Mama’ has such a laid back vibe that you can just about here Frazey calling out changes to the band buried deep in the mix. But then it’s not just the fact that she’s got soul that makes this album such a winner. Oh no, it’s that voice as well. Frazey Ford is blessed with a vocal sound and sultry style of delivery that is about as distinctive as you can get. But what a voice, it melts over you and has sent me back to this album again and again and again. Listen to the whole album here:

Free music - Obadiah

ALBUMS OF THE YEAR 2010 No. 18 – TAME IMPALA – Innerspeak

In the second half of the 1960s the Psychedelic bug was born, all too briefly infiltrating almost all known music; everyone from The Beatles to the Dave Clark Five and across the water such diverse acts as The Byrds and Lee Hazlewood all caught the bug. It even spawned numerous bug monsters of its own exemplified by bands like Pink Floyd and the Grateful Dead. Soon enough though the dominance ended and the bug was forced underground in the early 70s, missing presumed dead. But a saviour called ‘Nuggets’ sent out the signal that the bug still had silent friends in the music world and many remembered its reign with fondness. So it came to pass that slowly, in the 80s and 90s, the Psychedelic bug began to re-appear. First with pure pastiche efforts by musical thespian type bands like Dukes Of The Stratosphere; then more stridently as renegades like Inspiral Carpets and The Charlatans shocked the bug back into major active service by adding an all new groove element to the mix. Since then the bug has felt more assured in regularly touching surface but world domination is no longer an agenda, its learnt the art of selectiveness; the bug isn’t going anywhere near a Matt Cardle record! Nowadays the bug just wants to help inspire great music making and thankfully in 2010, it found the perfect compatriots in Tame Impala.

Tame Impala had already promised much with their self titled 2008 EP and its brilliant, throbbing, ‘Half Glass Full Of Wine’. ‘Innerspeak’ delivers on that potential big time though and is easily the psychedelic release of the year (pushed to the wire by The Soundcarriers ‘Celeste’). The Klaxons tried to channel the same psych-vibe this year but theirs was a painting-by-numbers effort by comparison; over-thought and lacking in conviction. Tame Impala have been fine-tuning their craft underground for years and now they’re in full view you are steamrollered by the power of a band that cuts it with consummate ease. They’ve got the dreamy echo; the acid guitar passages; the open ended groove leading the music down kaleidoscopic tunnels of endless possibility but above all they’ve got the tunes. There’s something that all the best psychedelic bands can pull off; three minutes of pure pop bliss. Tame Impala are up to the task, just listen to ‘I Don’t Really Mind’ to find how and check out a preview of the whole glorious wig-out over at http://www.emusic.com/

ALBUMS OF THE YEAR 2010 No. 19 – RICHARD THOMPSON – Dream Attic

It’s another winner from Richard Thompson, simple as that. Even without any seismic shifts in his folk-rock sounds for a good 20 years there’s very little reduction in the impact when he puts out new music. Thompson’s Brit-honed songwriting, still crafted with a few instantly recognizable brush strokes, remains fresh by gently shifting each albums emphasis. We’ve seen full band electric albums followed by home recorded, purely acoustic sets; there’s also been the one disc electric, one acoustic offering of ‘You Me Us’ and the suburban concept album ‘Mock Tudor’. With this years ‘Dream Attic’ the ruse is one we’ve seen Neil Young and R.E.M. play in the past; new material recorded in a live setting. To tell the truth though, the live thing is nothing more than a gimmick; you only notice the presence of an audience briefly a couple of times at the end of tracks and Thompson’s band sound is so organically tight both live and in the studio that there probably wouldn’t be much difference in end product wherever he recorded. Such is Richard Thompson’s feel for music, empathy with the requirements of a song and full dynamic range in his guitar playing, he rarely misses his target.

Richard Thompson is a living, working example, in this time of massive music industry collapse, of how a musician can make the job work without the mechanics of a major label securing Saturday night mainstream TV exposure or muscling in on the Radio 2 playlist. He uses the internet to communicate with and update his audience with incredible regularity, he plays all the time in decent size, regularly sold out venues, is always involved in two or three projects even finding time to curate this years Meltdown festival, appearing with 95% of the artists involved. Showing entrepreneurial acumen he utilises his website to monopolise his own bootleg market, offering up a mouth watering supply of live albums for hardcore followers which probably make Thompson a good deal more money than he ever enjoyed on Capitol records. All this while remaining unshackled, unlike say Bob Dylan or Lou Reed, by the constraints and pigeonholing one or a few big crossover hits can impose on an artist. Richard Thompson has created for himself one of the most enviable working environments in music today and he doesn’t waste his position. The final track on ‘Dream Attic’ is perhaps the greatest example of why this man is still in full command of his powers; practically every Richard Thompson album has at least two or three solid signature classics and ‘If Love Whispers Your Name’ is one of those. When writing about love and nailing it like this, there aren’t many who can touch the music of Richard Thompson.

Have a listen to the whole album here:

Free music - Dream Attic

ALBUMS OF THE YEAR 2010 No. 20 - ANNA KASHFI - Survival

“I was born when you kissed me, I died when you left, lived a while while you loved me, then you left me to fend for myself“.

‘A Lonely Place’, the opening track on this album, such a beautiful, beautiful song of love lived, lost and then resisted, is alone one of my musical highlights of the year. Rarely can a song so structurally and lyrically simple yield such devastating effect but this is something special. A calm then turbulent story, sung with a pure, clear, emotive female voice using seafaring metaphor alongside straightforward musings on love; the sound is gentle, graceful and elegantly pushed along with some understated acid-tinged electric guitar patterns. It can rip your heart out this one, if one tune this year has guaranteed an albums’ inclusion in our Top 20 then this is it.

That’s not to say the rest of the record’s a slouch; if anything it holds up consistently well pulling off the rare trick of being eclectic and diverse in its range of styles. ‘The Loser’s Prize’ impresses just by employing the simple move of putting singer Sian Webley’s voice right at the forefront. There’s also the more country flavoured folk tales like ‘Devils Bridge’ and ‘Bumblebee‘ to dig your teeth into, the latter an uplifting song about valuing the air you breathe and the planet you live on as the financial institutions around you collapse. But they never settle in one style too long; ‘String Loop’ has a title that aptly describes the sound but it doesn’t fully illustrate the haunting effect of Webley’s vocal treatments and the nightmare visions that come flooding in as the sound escalates in the chorus parts. ‘Your Baby’ harks back to the ragtime days of the 1920’s with its “am I is or am I ain’t your baby” refrain but it’s no pastiche, especially not with that fuzzy little electric guitar part cutting through it. Most impressive of all on ‘Red Rag Doll’ they do rootsy, upbeat and catchy, something beyond most purveyors of the atmospherics and studio trickery that Anna Kashfi also excel in.

It’s just a shame, given the all over wondrousness on show, that this is one of those albums languishing so far below the radar that the boy/girl duo Anna Kashfi have enjoyed so little acclaim for this release. We can’t even point you, as we will with most of the Top 20, in the direction of a place where you can instantly try this album out for yourselves. The best we can offer is www.emusic.com where we strongly suggest you sample ‘Survival’, sign up (Essex Boy Review says it’s the best the internet has to offer for great value, independent music download shopping) and treat yourself to the one of 2010’s best underground records. But first have a listen below to that lead off track ‘A Lonely Place’ below.

Free music - A Lonely Place (Single)

ALBUMS OF THE YEAR 2010

The ‘Essex Boy Review’ end of year round up is going to feature a countdown of the Top 20 albums of 2010. Starting Monday, one title will be revealed each day with the winner announced on January 1^st.

Has this list been compiled scientifically? No. Has there been a vote? No. Is there a committee bouncing around opinion and criteria for inclusion? No. In short this list is being assembled in the style of a dictatorship. The Top 20 Albums of 2010 featured are the ones that have brought the most pleasure to ‘Essex Boy Review’ and nothing more. The only measurements that might be slightly involved are based on how many plays have been racked up and star ratings have been over-excitedly applied in the ‘E.B.R.’ iTunes library (but even that isn’t an exacting method because obviously albums released earlier in the year have a distinct advantage).

So why give this countdown any credibility? You’re not expected to. All that can be said in the Top 20s favour is this. If you look at the numerous end of year polls and despair at the inclusion of KT Tunstall; if you glance at the Christmas Top 40 singles chart and feel some rage; if you get physically sick at the sound of Autotune; if you are puzzled that anything presenting itself as even slightly alternative has to be 99% dreary indie-guitar bands; if you are compelled to graffiti the nearest motorway bridge that ‘Brandon Flowers is Chris De Burgh in disguise for chrisssakes’; if you can’t even begin to come to terms with how the massive amount of great music that is put out all the time every 12 months is just swept under the mainstream corporate carpet at this time of year and liking anything outside of processed pop means that people assume you’re into The Kings Of Leon then....well maybe, just maybe, these 20 hand picked gems (not all obscure by any means, far from it) might be worth investing some time in as we enter 2011. They just might, possibly, re-fuel your enthusiasm for music as the latest bunch of X-Factor contestants disappear into the sunset. If they don’t, well come back this time next year and we’ll try again.

A QUICK WORD ABOUT MARK LAMARR

Recently we (the folks at ‘Essex Boy Review’) were gutted to hear that Mark Lamarr’s essential Radio 2 show ‘God’s Jukebox’ is coming to an end this Christmas. It seems Lamarr has had a request for an earlier time slot turned down and would rather quit than carry on the Friday night midnight to 3am shift. Reasonable enough on the surface but you can’t help but wonder if there’s more to this than meets the eye; after all the show is pre-recorded and I’m sure the majority of the audience enjoy the show, as I do, on the BBC iPlayer. Looking into his on air comments over the past few months there has been a suggestion that he is feeling a little out of place amongst too many DJs dutifully adhering to the playlist policies. Whilst refraining from actually saying as much, I wouldn’t be surprised to find he even feels a little let down by broadcasters who previously might have been considered one of his own. Personally, I will say that as classy and witty as Radcliffe and Maconie undoubtedly are, it’s a rare occasion these days that I’ll go out of my way to catch one of their shows, for the music is painfully playlist friendly and, whisper it, predictable.

Only a couple of weeks ago Mark Lamarr spoke during an edition of ‘Gods Jukebox’ of his dismay at hearing another Radio 2 DJ, unnamed, telling the listeners about Elvis Costello’s “brilliant new album” only to follow up the announcement with an airing of the 1979 hit ‘Oliver’s Army’. “Brilliant new album, then why not play something from it?” Lamarr asked in disbelief. I think therein lies the key to his unhappiness with the radio station around him. We do live in a time where one hundred years worth of recorded music history should ensure there’s never a need for repetition, while the new music offered up every week (as our Top 20 of the year aims to illustrate) is a good deal more exciting than mundane offerings from Annie Lennox or the Kings Of Leon would have you believe. So he finds himself, a man whose passion for music is every bit as strong as John Peel’s, unable to comprehend why so many DJs aren’t inspired by this. Driven, as Lamarr himself is, to spend every day of their DJ lives exploring, enjoying and discovering the wonderful world of music we have at our disposal. When Peel felt unloved at Radio 1 at least he could console himself with the life changing role and hugely appreciated encouragement he gave to a few bands and artists on the fringes and specialist margins of the industry. Mark Lamarr though, whilst keeping a keen ear out for new music, probably would admit that his greatest love is for eras and sounds of the past. Perhaps this has led to an environment in which his enthusiasms are just reluctantly tolerated rather than valued?

The end of ‘God’s Jukebox’ is a sad occasion because it represents something that is important to all music lovers. A mainstream radio DJ, with let’s face it great taste, who runs his life around the search for unusual and wonderful records, without any regard for genre or age, then compiles them in an inspirational and brilliantly presented radio show. A glance at the BBC 6Music manifesto might fool you into believing that we’re over supplied with radio shows of this ilk but we’re not; if anything they’re a dying breed. All we can hope for is that Mark Lamarr doesn’t abandon his music broadcasting career and that he finds a more appreciative home for his talents and ideals very soon. If he doesn’t then something special will have been lost. To prove my point, have a listen to the incredible selection that Mark Lamarr compiled on this recently released festive album: ‘Mark Lamarr’s Rhythm & Blues Christmas’....

Free music - Mark Lamarr's Rhythm & Blues Christmas

GORILLAZ – G Sides (2002)

I thought Blur were pretty prolific back in the 1990s, putting loads of weird and wonderful stuff on their CD single extra tracks. But as for Damon Albarn in Noughties?! He’s proved almost impossible to keep up with and the constant high standard of the music he puts out is pretty damn incredible!

This album should be weak really. By rights an album that’s made up mainly off off-cuts, b-sides and remixes shouldn’t stand as an essential part of any bands back catalogue. They’re released for the hardcore fans and completists by and large. But this album stands alone as a set that’s every bit as important as the eponymous debut album from 2001. In fact, where large amounts of that first release clearly carried on a line that Blur were starting to draw at the end of the previous decade, this release clearly sets out the whole Dub, Hip-Hop, club-friendly package that would push Gorillaz on to massive mainstream success. That triumph was pushed on loads by the Soulchild remix of ’19-2000’ that kick starts this album. By no stretch a major improvement on the slightly ploddier original, but it is clear that its pumping grooves were a million times more likely to get plays in the pretty conservative nightclubs of the UK back in the day. Not just that, it’s flippin’ brilliant too; well deserving of top billing on an actual Gorillaz album rather than languishing in the relative obscurity of a ‘Now That’s What I Call Music’ CD.

Perhaps the appearance of a radically un-changed ‘Rock The House’ and lesser version of ‘Clint Eastwood’ (I’m sorry but without the Damon Albarn chant of the chorus it means a lot less to me) hold back the overall package a bit. But then tracks like ‘Left Hand Suzuki Method’, a feast of subtle sampling and Big-Beat rhythm, or ‘Dracula’, a real laid back dubby gem on which Damon properly channels that Specials ‘Ghost Town’ vibe, more than adequately fill up the content. My favourite is ‘Faust’ on which Damon Albarn shamelessly turns the Gorillaz into authentic purveyors of throbbing Krautrock. Here too is a major clue as to the work ethic that continues to drive his creativity to this day. There aren’t many who can afford to craft music such as that heard on ‘Faust’ and then almost hide it on an secondary release like this. Albarn can because for the past ten years he has literally been making music all the time. Essex Boy Review is throwing the spotlight on the 21^st Century output of Damon Albarn over the coming months; expect a long, varied and increasingly fruitful journey.

Essex Boy Rating: 7/10

JOE HENDERSON – Page One (1963)

Sometimes in appreciating music it’s just a case of catching the right piece in exactly the right circumstance and everything can fall into place. It was a hot evening in the summer and I was out walking, listening to this album on my headphones and that’s when the second tune here, ‘La Mesha’, came on and just knocked me out. I had heard it before but it passed by as nothing more than pleasant. Suddenly it was so much more, relaxed and slowburning its beauty into my mind. Just an amazing piece with Kenny Dorham’s trumpet and Henderson’s tenor sax gently rubbing against each other and in the process creating something magical. Oh yes, I had a moment there alright.

Kenny Dorham wrote ‘La Mesha’ and to give him his due credit he also wrote the other stand out track here ‘Blue Bossa’, regarded by many Blue Note buffs as a classic. That’s not to knock the remaining Henderson tunes which are all strong pieces but it’s that opening one-two punch, the bossanova sugar followed by a nine minute warm soaking of genius that really do it for me. Kenny Dorham is all over this record every bit as much as Henderson, his name up there on the front cover leading the five piece combo and I have to say that is one of the things I love about Jazz, the way everyone gets their credit. Rock and pop history is awash with unsung session heroes and people taking credit for things they haven’t actually played, you don’t get that here. Mind you the piano playing of McCoy Tyner, another strong presence throughout, was only noted with an ‘etc’ on the original album cover due to his being contracted to John Coltrane’s Impulse! Label. My CD remaster puts that right, especially in the sleevenotes which label this Jazz period as ‘Bop to-Free’. That being the case ‘Bop-to-Free’ could well be an era I need to listen to a lot more of.

Essex Boy Rating: 7/10