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as fiddler Mossie Martin and flute player ing to the likes of Joe Heaney and Paddy Tun- and seeing how it turns out. Unless you want
Dave Sheridan, to elder statesmen such as ney. This is still evident when he takes an to say something about a wired Incredible
Ben and Charlie Lennon (fiddles) and excursion out west to American song. His String Band on a runaway train to the dark
Michael McNamara (flute). singing remains firmly rooted in the tradition side or Alasdair Roberts with his boots on fire,
Overall, it’s a thoroughly well-rounded,
from which his material comes. Although it sounds like… nothing else, though some-
tastefully arranged and fittingly produced
Buffalo Skinners is learned from a written body is bound to mention The Wicker Man
confection in which the five tracks of compo-
source, the sound and delivery suggests an somewhere down the line, so it might as well
sitions which emerged from the project’s ‘new
aural route into Steve’s repertoire. be me. It sounds like it might even have been
tunes group’ sit easily and sometimes inspir- Taken individually the tracks are careful-
unearthed from the same time capsule that
ingly (in the case of Shane Meehan’s Court- ly chosen and give, not only variety, but an
brought us Vashti Bunyan… only to be buried
house Reel) amongst more familiar melodies. insight into the singer’s range and skill. Col-
again once they heard what was on it.
The album is currently stocked by
lectively they are a pleasure to listen to. But no, Trembling Bells are a modern
Claddagh Records:
www.claddaghrecords.com
Glancing at the extensive list of associates band from Carbeth in the west end of Glas-
and their instruments, one might expect this gow (which doesn’t necessarily explain why
Geoff Wallis
to be a ‘big band’ album but this is not the they sound so unhinged) and appear to be
case. Steve and his accompanists deliver with the brainchild of free-form drummer Alex
a firm understanding that this is a primarily Nielsen, who’s written all the songs which –
VARIOUS ARTISTS
unaccompanied musical tradition and the be warned – will stalk your brain with crimi-
Indian Rezervation Blues And More
result is an instrumental support which is nal intent. Alasdair Roberts fans should cer-
DixieFrog DFGCD 8660
both subtle and unobtrusive. tainly give it a whirl and at the very least the
For a first album this is a great offering
heroically swooping, faintly demonic vocals
“I was here at the beginning, I’ve always been
and begs the question, ‘When do I get to see
of Lavinia Blackwall merit a standing ovation
here too…” Slidin’ Clyde Roulette sings on
him live?’ Hopefully festival organisers will
for keeping the multicoloured melodies
Redman. It’s a brilliant reworking of a classic
hear this album and be seduced by age, expe-
vaguely on track. There’s a gypsy quality to
Muddy Waters riff but you’re unlikely to have
rience and sheer respect for this beautiful
her voice that enhances the album’s yearning
heard of him because Native Americans are
music . Available through CDBaby
spirit and she certainly does a good job con-
still an almost invisible musical entity. veying a kind of warped beauty as she des-
Paul Davenport
That deserves to be changed by this
perately hangs on to the tune of Galway
cliché-busting triple CD set inspired by a two-
Shawl over an increasingly fraught and fuzzy
year road trip across North America. And it’s
backdrop on Willows Of Carbeth.
a great credit that this compilation of some
TREMBLING BELLS
Eventually they cut the pleasingly raucous
50-odd tracks and almost as many artists, Carbeth Honest Jon’s HJRCD4 cacophony to end on some wayward har-
hangs together so well. No doubt the secret monies on Seven Years A Teardrop and it feels
lies in the selection process, with all tracks
When this little bugger hit the Dansette, my
like you’ve been entrapped in some sort of
based around blues-derived or other non-
old cat Frank ran screaming up the garden
fiendish pagan ceremony. I’d like to tell you
traditional forms and the material licensed
yelping “You’ve played some tosh in your
what the songs are about – and lyrics are help-
from the many small labels that typify the
time, squire, but that takes the biscuit” – or
fully included in a beautiful arty booklet full of
genre and its struggles.
words to that effect. I must admit, as the howl-
churches, candles and nudes – but alas, they
It’s not an all-inclusive overview – no tra-
ing voice of Lavinia Blackwall came soaring
are mostly unreadable. There’s something
ditional or powwow tracks per se although
above a bewildering morass of drums, brass,
darkly, wickedly wonderful going on here. I’m
their influence resonates everywhere – nor a
jerking rhythms and unidentifiable strings like
not sure what it is, but I love it – I think. Joe
roll-call of First Nations greats. So no Buffy
the mad granny had just escaped from the
Boyd does too, apparently. Frank still hates it.
Saint-Marie, Jesse Ed Davis, or even John
attic, I had similar thoughts. Yet as soon as it
www.honestjons.com, distributor: Proper.
Trudell. The best known acts are probably
finished I put it straight back on to see if it
Pura Fe, saxophonist Joy Harjo and the blues
made any more sense second time round. It
Colin Irwin
band Indigenous; but there’s a sense of dis-
didn’t. Half a dozen more plays down the line
covery that more than compensates.
and it still doesn’t, but I’ve grown to love its
crazy avalanche of weirdness. MAHER KAMAL
Stylistically it ranges from trad American
folk tunes given new life (Wayne Lavallee’s
I’m at a loss, I’m afraid, to offer many
Ahla Andalusi Nesma ND 0801
Trail Of Tears and A. Paul Ortega’s Chicago) to
clues that might induce you to make a brave
folk/ protest, country boogie, and many
leap of faith into its demented ragbag of At the risk of coming across all Alan Titch-
shades of blues. Another illustration might be
styles. I could throw in words like psychedelic, marsh, there’s something wonderfully com-
Kokopelli, the popular flute-playing charac-
baroque, gothic, renaissance, free-form, fortable and comforting about the sound of
ter depicted in petroglyphs who’s the inspira-
primitive, medieval and even, wait for it – nu an Egyptian orchestra. The syrupy strings tak-
tion for both Cochise Anderson’s lively flute
folk – but the Bells essentially sound like a ing turns with the qanun, the expected tabla
tune Kokopelli’s Groove and Keith Secola’s
bunch of people with various individual roots break, then more strings – it’s a pair of slip-
shades-of-Tom-Waits Kokopelli Blues. Secola
in classical, jazz, traditional and early music pers on top of a neatly folded cardigan inside
also contributes the chant-based classic 4R
who are throwing all the bits in the air, play- your speaker. Egyptian singer and composer
Ancestors and the women shine with raps
ing as if the hounds of hell are after them, Maher Kamal’s new release is awash with this
and harmonies from M’Girl, Leilani and
Asani’s strangely haunting a cappella Rez Sis- Trembling Bells
ter. Reputedly it was the power chords of a
Navajo band that actually inspired the
Touareg to form Tinariwen and really kick off
the desert blues boom. Maybe it’s time to
repay the favour?
www.dixiefrog.com, distributed by Dis-
covery:
www.discovery-records.com
Phil Wilson
STEVE JOHNSON
Lowlands Borough South Music BSM001
In the bad old days an apprentice served for
seven years and a day before creating a final
work to show what he had learned. This was
his ‘masterpiece’. Steve Johnson’s debut
offering appears to be in this spirit. Here is a
clear case of a singer who has learned his
craft over a long period by listening and
immersion in the traditions he so clearly
loves. From the first track, The Labouring
Man’s Daughter, gently but assertively deliv-
ered, Steve sets out his impressive stall. On
several tracks I was reminded of Kevin
Mitchell but on others, the delivery points
unashamedly to the singer’s extensive listen-
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