thefreethinkingmovementFeeling down? Here’s a musical cure. I’m not sure if I buy the story about this being The Most Expensive ‘45 Of All Time – but I do buy that it’s a slab of bang-on northern soul. And, if your day is tinged with even a hint of something not going in your favour, slap […]
I read an article last week that put forth – in surprised tones – that the main source for an introduction to ‘new music’ was the radio. I’ll be honest, this is no surprise to me at all. Whack on BBC 6 Music on any day of the week, at any time of the day, […]
I’m just going to put this out there: it’s going to take a lot – a lot – for an album to top ‘Faithful Man’ as the best of 2012. Lee Fields and The Expressions follow up to 2009’s ‘My World’ is an absolute stunner. As a slab of soul, it’s just immediate. Album opener […]
I figured that ‘Starlight’ was an early indication of what was to come. It sounded like it was a track lifted straight off ‘Modernism: A New Decade’, the notorious final Style Council LP. I say this not by way of criticism – I love it when Weller shakes off the shackles that his fans place […]
I’m not a religious man, but I do have an almost unshakable belief that having a pint on a Friday night is one of life’s pleasures. Throw in a chat about music with a good mate over said pint, and you’ve got a winning formula for the end of a working week. A couple of […]
Oh, Time Out New York, sometimes you really do disappoint me. You take the populist line on artists (which I sometimes doubt you’ve ever even heard). You champion local bands, even if they’re ‘a bit bobbins’ (step forward, Javelin). And, fundamentally, you just don’t seem to have the same critical clout that you once did. […]
You know Cymande. No, you really know Cymande. They were pioneers of 70’s British funk. This isn’t why you’ll know them. Their solid output seems to just not be enough to have won Cymande recognition they deserve. They were sampled by De La Soul: this is why you know them. ‘Bra’ is a chuffing marvellous […]
Where is Matt Deighton? He should be one of the UKs most celebrated singer/song-writers, but instead he’s Missing In Action. His recording career has seen him cover a huge territory, from soulful pop to full-on psychedelic rock through to acid-tinged funk. The common thread is about as English as a pint of bitter – folk, […]
For me, movie soundtracks fall into four categories: soundtracks that are the film (think Tommy, The Wall, Hard Days Night); soundtracks that are part of the movie dialogue (musicals like Grease, Evita and any Disney animated flick really); soundtracks that are both from and inspired by (in many cases, but not all, the music in […]
It seems that José James was put on Earth in order to breathe fresh life into an entire genre. His voice is a pure gift from heaven – it eclipses jazz greats such as Mark Murphy (I truly mean this). His voice has more texture, more silk. You could picture his voice pouring off the […]
The perils of writing a ‘best albums of the year’ list are many. First of all, I know that I’ll be missing some albums which probably deserve to make the cut. Last year, for example, while calling out I Am Kloot’s ‘Sky At Night’ as the album of the year (which I still stand resolutely […]
It’s Christmas. And, have I got a treat for you? Over the last few months, I have – like so many others – become mildly addicted to turntable.fm. For the uninitiated, it’s social networking brought to music. You enter a ‘room’, and five DJs take it in turns to play music. Play the wrong track, […]