Category: Album Reviews

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Michael Kiwanuka – Small Changes (2024)

Posted on by Michael

In late 2024, Michael Kiwanuka released his fourth album and third produced by Danger Mouse and Inflo. The soulful release received widespread acclaim from critics.  Legendary producer Jimmy Jam appears on three tracks, adding organ on the jazz inflected “Rebel Soul” and “Lowdown (Part I)” where Kiwanuka sings that “I’ve been wrong half the time/gotta wonder how I survived”. Later on, “Follow Your Dreams” has the inspirational message to “Follow your dreams/fear no danger”.

At 11 songs, there are not any that particularly stand out as it all smoothly runs together.  The musicianship on the tracks are simple but extraordinary at the same time. Kiwanuka’s bass playing is really impressive, especially on first track “Floating Parade” that takes the soul to the sun dappled beach.  It’s a lovely album where Kiwanuka lyrically tackles personal topics with his warm voice and terrific production.

8/10

Posted in Album Reviews

Joni Mitchell – Song To A Seagull (1968)

Posted on by Michael

By the time Joni Mitchell’s debut album came out in March of 1968, her songs had already been recorded by the likes of Judy Collins, Dave Van Ronk, and Fairport Convention. Produced by David Crosby, Song To A Seagull is mostly Joni with just her acoustic guitar. The albums starts with a highlight in “I Had a King” that looks back at the breakdown of her marriage to Chuck Mitchell, “I can’t go back there anymore/You know my keys won’t fit the door”.

The album is broken up into two sides, the first being “I Came to the City” and the second side being, “Out of the City and Down to the Seaside”.  On the first side, “Michael From the Mountains” can barely contain Mitchell hitting the high notes and “Night In The City” has swooping vocals in the chorus with the added bass playing of Stephen Stills to help uplift the tune.

The second side is mostly made up of pleasant folk songs with the ambitious lyrics of “The Dawntreader” being a standout and later concludes with the heavier “Cactus Tree” that sees the guitar get strummed a little bit harder.  Noted as not being the best recorded album, Mitchell would later take over the producer chair as her songs and career start to take off.

7/10

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Gene – Olympian (1995)

Posted on by Michael

Formed in 1993, it wasn’t long before the band Gene lead by singer Martin Rossiter became a buzz band in the UK press the following year. After a few well received singles, the band released their debut album Olympian in the spring of 1995 which took them into the top 10 of the UK charts.  The black and white cover picture and melodramatic lyrics saw the band draw wide spread comparisons to The Smiths.  “Haunted By You” about a broken relationship is set to a happier tune and handclap percussion. The single was their second top 40 hit.

With Rossiter’s slight vocal, he doesn’t quite capture the emotion quite like Morrissey or Bret Anderson from Suede, and equally, the music doesn’t break new ground. Yet, what the band does really well are choruses for the now 50 year old kids to jump around to.  The soft rock of “A Car That Sped” sees the guitar get turned up on the chorus.  A trick that “Your Love, It Lies” does as well. “Sleep Well Tonight” has the non-threatening lyric of “sleep well tonight/tomorrow we fight”, an anthem for the introverts.

“Still Can’t Find the Phone” slightly changes the style to a light, country/folk feel that is really quite good. The softer title track adds a bit of strings as Rossiter sings, “I wanted to be there with you/For I, can only be normal with you”.  A lyric that teenagers and twentysomethings, and even those of us older, can relate to as we try to figure out the world with our partners.  Listening 30 years later, Olympian is a fun romp through some fine second tier literary guitar pop.

7.5/10

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The Rolling Stones – 12 X 5 (1964)

Posted on by Michael

Just like their counterparts in The Beatles, The Rolling Stones early US records were a bit of a mix bag. Following up their first US album, England’s Newest Hit Makers, their second release was 12 X 5.  Named after the band’s 5 x 5 UK EP, this release takes those five songs and adds seven more including cover songs and three credited to Mick Jagger/Keith Richards.

The band gets the joint rocking with a cover of Chuck Berry’s “Around and Around”, includes some great piano playing from Ian Stewart and the sweet honey vocals of Jagger. The band’s first US top ten hit appears in the cover “Time Is On My Side” based on the Irma Thomas rendition. The version that appears here is a bit more raw than the version that they would later record and include on compilations over and over again. 

Of the three tracks credited the iconic duo, “Good Times, Band Times” is the pick.  A slower, bluesy R+B number does the band good basing it on the music they have been covering. Their first UK #1 closes out side one with their version of “It’s All Over Now”.  A bit of a country and western twang with some terrific bass playing courtesy of Bill Wyman and pained vocals of Jagger. Good stuff.

The second side starts with an instrumental band jam “2120 South Michigan Avenue” credited to their moniker, Nanker Phelge. The side also has a couple of cover versions of popular songs including “Under The Boardwalk” released in the same year as The Drifters’ classic version and “Susie Q” that is a rough and ready version with handclaps thrown in for good measure. 12 X 5 does a solid job of  featuring some classic Rolling Stones songs and a few other great turns but with a few others that that are better left to the originals.

9/10

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Kim Deal – Nobody Loves You More (2024)

Posted on by Michael

It’s remarkable that in her nearly 40 year recording career, Kim Deal is just now releasing her first official solo album. Having worked in main bands The Pixies and The Breeders, on this album the spotlight is solely on her. Nobody Loves You More sounds like it could have come out in the mid 90s after her breakthrough with The Breeders, Last Splash.  Indie rock, surf guitar, and orchestral strings co-mingle throughout this album that Deal produced with several tracks having been recorded by Steve Albini before his untimely death in 2024.

The title track has a 70s soundtrack feel to it, it’s a bit hazy, like a yellowing photography with a just a subtle drumbeat. A country twang on the softer sounds of “Are You Mine?” told from the perspective of an Alzheimer patient.  One of the highlights of the album is “Wish I Was”. The laid back surf guitar underpinned with a throbbing bass where Deal sings of really liking/loving someone but with the line, “Coming around is easy/coming down is rough”.

The album still fits in plenty of scuzzy rock songs.  “Crystal Breath” comes to life when the drumbeat kicks in. Similarly, “Big Ben Beat” kicks up the distortion with some great guitar lines while “Disobedience” is just a cool, upbeat indie rock song that Deal has been writing all her life. The album closes with the last song that Albini recorded, “A Good Time Pushed”.  Fittingly it sees Deal sing, “We’re having a good time… I’ll see you around”.  A really great album, hopefully we don’t have to wait 35+ years for the next solo album.

8.5/10