Doc Watson - Live at Club 47

Rating: 5/5

Review:
Brilliant

This is a fine live recording of the great Doc Watson. His playing is, of course, superb and quite jaw-droppingly brilliant in places (how does he DO that?) and his singing is very good, too. The sound quality is good and it’s a pleasure to have a good quality recording of Doc performing so well.

I have to say that the down-home, folksy chat in between songs gets a little much for me in places, but that’s a tine, personal niggle. This is a very good disc of a true genius of the guitar playing magnificently and I can recommend it very warmly.

Robbie Robertson - Sinematic

Rating: 4/5

Review:
Patchy but some very good stuff

This is a bit of a mixed bag of an album. I have liked and sometimes loved Robbie Robertson’s solo work and still play his self-titled 1987 album with great pleasure. Some of this is up to that standard and some isn’t.

The production is very good, and quite reminiscent of that 1987 album in that Robertson’s voice sounds very similar here. The sound is lush and full much of the time, which works very well for most tracks. The material itself is very variable, I think; for example, Walk In Beauty Way is an excellent, very beautiful track, while Shanghai Blues seems like characterless filler to me.

It’s an expensive package, which will rightly put a lot of people off – there’s no need for it and it’s annoying. Musically, I think it’s worth having; in spite of its weaknesses there is some very good stuff here and especially for Robbie Robertson fans like me I can recommend it with some reservations.

Putamayo Presents - South Africa

Rating: 5/5

Review:
An excellent compilation

I am shamefully ignorant about South African music, having heard very little beyond Ladysmith Black Mambazo, so this was a great introduction for me. There is a fine mixture of styles, some excellent musicianship and a lot of very enjoyable music. Like all the Putamayo compilations, it is very well presented with good information, making it a good pace to start investigating further as well as being a really good listen in itself. Very warmly recommended.

Claire Hamill - Over Dark Apples

Rating: 3/5

Review:
Good performance and lyrics, but musically disappointing

I’ve listened to a couple of Claire Hamill’s albums from the 70s recently, and they still stand up well. Sadly, I’m not so keen on Over Dark Apples.

It’s great that Claire is still writing and performing, and she can certainly still put a song over very well. Her voice has darkened and deepened with the years and she’s a good performer with a very decent band and solid production. My problem is the material; some of it’s pretty good (I like the opening track, Love Has A Mind Of Its Own, for example) and the lyrics are generally engaging and sometimes very striking, but musically it’s pretty ordinary. Melodies are bland and almost nursery-rhyme-like in character a lot of the time and however good the lyrics and performance, it gets a bit dull, I’m afraid.

I don’t want to be too critical and others may well enjoy this more than I did, but in spite of its good points I can only give Over Dark Apples a very qualified recommendation.

Amy Speace - Me And The Ghost Of Charlemagne

Rating: 5/5

Review:
Another fine album from Amy Speace

This is another very fine album from Amy Speace. I have admired her work for some years now – so much so that I contributed to the crowdfunding of Me And The Ghost Of Charlemagne, which means that I’ve had a copy for some months now and have listened to it a lot.

Amy Speace turned 50 fairly recently, but she continues to mature as both a songwriter and a performer. The songs here have lyrics which are even more thoughtful and well crafted than before, think – which is really saying something. The title track, for example, is remarkably atmospheric and a long way from your average singer/songwriter fare. She has a lovely, pure voice which she uses to give real meaning to her lyrics and writes a very good tune.

The album is beautifully produced by Neilson Hubbard and the overall effect is involving and atmospheric. Even in a time when we are phenomenally blessed with excellent female singer/songwriters, this a classy piece of work which stands out for me and I can recommend it very warmly.