Weapons Of beauty. Jay Buchanan

Jay Buchanan blaast je direct in de openingstrack van Weapons Of Beauty van je sokken en blijft dat vervolgens vijftig minuten lang doen met zijn fantastische stem en de prachtige klanken op dit indrukwekkende album.

Weapons Of Beauty van Jay Buchanan was pas een paar seconden onderweg, maar ik was al verkocht. Dat de Amerikaanse muzikant een groot zanger is laat hij al heel wat jaren horen in zijn band Rival Sons, maar zijn stem snijdt op zijn eerste soloalbum dwars door de ziel. De Amerikaanse muzikant imponeert op Weapons Of Beauty niet alleen met zijn geweldige stem, maar ook met een fraaie mix van invloeden uit de Amerikaanse rootsmuziek. Die Amerikaanse rootsmuziek is ook nog eens bijzonder mooi ingekleurd en prachtig geproduceerd door de gelouterde Dave Cobb. Ik had meteen kippenvel toen ik begon aan het eerste soloalbum van Jay Buchanan en dat heb ik na meerdere keren horen nog steeds. Wat een album!

Meestal bespreek ik alleen albums van vrouwelijke muzikanten en ook nu luisterde ik in eerste instantie vooral naar de nieuwe albums van vrouwelijke singer-songwriters. Bij mijn eerste rondje langs de nieuwe albums werd ik uiteindelijk echter met afstand het meest geraakt door het debuutalbum van Jay Buchanan. 

Weapons Of Beauty opent echt bijzonder mooi met de krachtige maar ook ruwe en doorleefde stem van de Amerikaanse muzikant, die zich laat omringen door een ruimtelijk geluid met prachtig gitaarwerk. Caroline is zo’n track die onmiddellijk onder de huid kruipt, maar die ook alleen maar indrukwekkender wordt wanneer je hem vaker hoort. 

Ik (her)kende de naam Jay Buchanan niet, maar Weapons Of Beauty is misschien zijn eerste soloalbum, maar zeker niet zijn eerste wapenfeit. De Amerikaanse muzikant maakt immers al een kleine twintig jaar deel uit van de Californische band Rival Sons, die inmiddels een flinke stapel albums op haar naam heeft staan. Het zijn albums waarop de band geen geheim maakt van de bewondering voor Led Zeppelin. Die bewondering deel ik, maar ik luister uiteindelijk toch liever naar Led Zeppelin dan naar Rival Sons. 

Op zijn eerste soloalbum neemt Jay Buchanan de afslag richting de Amerikaanse rootsmuziek en levert hij een album af dat zomaar kan uitgroeien tot een klassieker in het genre. Op de albums van zijn band liet Jay Buchanan al horen dat hij een geweldige zanger is, maar in het rootsgeluid op Weapons Of Beauty komt zijn stem wat mij betreft nog veel beter tot zijn recht. 

Ik werd echt compleet van mijn sokken geblazen door het in alle opzichten fantastische Caroline, dat er aan het einde van de track nog een schepje bovenop doet en een van de meest indrukwekkende breakup songs is die ik de laatste tijd heb gehoord. Het legt de lat hoog voor de rest van het album, maar Jay Buchanan slaagt er in om een hoog niveau vast te houden. 

De Amerikaanse muzikant koos voor het schrijven van de songs voor zijn soloalbum voor het isolement van de Mojave woestijn, maar het album werd uiteindelijk opgenomen met een compacte band. In deze band vallen vooral de twee gitaristen op, maar ook het pianowerk op het album is bijzonder fraai, terwijl de basis van de ritmesectie niet moet worden onderschat. 

De muziek op het album is sfeervol en vooral verrassend ruimtelijk en dat laatste biedt alle ruimte aan de stem van Jay Buchanan. De Amerikaanse muzikant imponeert direct in de openingstrack van het album en blijft dit vervolgens doen. Het is behoorlijk expressieve of zelfs heftige zang, maar wat mij betreft is iedere noot die Jay Buchanan zingt raak. 

Dat is bijzonder, want ik hou normaal gesproken van wat meer ingetogen zang, maar de ruwe strot van Jay Buchanan blijft maar voor kippenvel zorgen. Dat ligt deels aan het feit dat Weapons Of Beauty echt fantastisch klinkt, wat ook niet anders kan met een topproducer als Dave Cobb achter de knoppen. 

Weapons Of Beauty bevat ook nog eens een dampende mix van blues, country, soul en Southern rock, die nog wat extra passie en energie toevoegt aan het soloalbum van Jay Buchanan, dat af en toe ook wel wat gas terug neemt en dan minstens net zo imponeert met de geweldige stem van de Amerikaanse muzikant. Wat een verrassing.

Erwin Zijleman

Sivert Høyem live. Monday 9 February 2026, Paradiso Amsterdam with King Hüsky

Photo: WdN-vdB

The man with the arguably best voice in rock music this side of any Alps in the world, is on tour and one stop was in the Paradiso, Amsterdam. With his album, 'Exiles' out for 20 years and 'Lioness' for 10 and celebrating his 50th birthday on this tour, there was a lot to commemorate. Enough to release a best of album in 2026.

For my wife, seeing Høyem live was a first. (For me it was as a solo artist.) Her question was, does he really have such a beautiful voice? Having seen Madrugada live for the first time on tour supporting the 'The Nightly Disease' album, I knew the answer of course. Believe, me she was convinced. I was looking at an adoring face for most of the concert.

Høyem played a good cross section of his oeuvre. I had to admit that I am far less familiar with it as with his band's. Madrugada's albums have simply been played far more often. There is also another thing. When younger, lyrics are memorised far easier. In the Madrugada encore singing along was far easier for me.

Photo: WdN-vdB

Høyem's solo work is more varied, in the sense that the arrangements will go in far more different directions. In general he rocks a little less loud and that is o.k. I already have a 'Blood Shot Adult Commitment'. The blues infused atmospherics are regularly there. His voice is his voice and that pulls me so smoothly into his songs.

This is exactly what happened during the show. Song by song Høyem and band pulled me in further and further. Looking around me and over the venue's hall, I wasn't the only one. Even in the very quiet songs, people were totally quiet. No Dutch disease here this evening. The audience was very well mixed in age and gender. From 20 to 70 somethings, they were all there. And, if Paradiso wasn't sold out, then it may have been able to have a few dozen persons extra before it would have become uncomfortable.

Majesty, WdN-vdB

To have a legacy like the one Sivert Høyem has to tag along, is no sinecure. His band Madrugada made a musical difference to a lot of people and with Kaizers Orchestra and Motorpsycho is the best band to have come out of Norway, in my opinion. With his solo oeuvre he has come, by comparison, a very long way. But when 'Majesty' and especially 'The Kids Are On High Street' are played, I noticed the whole audience going one step further. But wasn't Sivert Høyem as well? It looked like it.

It all ended with the big ballad of his last album, 'Dancing Headlights', 'Hollow'. To leave us with a ballad does show how certain he is of the power of his ballads. and rightly so, 'Hollow' is a beautiful song. Conclusion, a near perfect show was played, near, as the guitarist made a few noticeable mistakes and a few times was mixed too loud. It was all forgiven, as it was a memorable show.

Then the support act. King Hüsky is a totally new name to me and will be forgotten quite soon. I am not sure I ever saw a less inspired and inspiring artist then King Hüsky. I realise it is not easy to stand alone on a stage with a slowly filling room in front of you, where most people will not be there for you. And being only one man, his voice and an acoustic guitar. But, he had a whole room to win. People were sympathetic, but not for a second I had the idea that the man wanted to conquer anyone. There's nothing more I can tell you, as not a single thing made a lasting impression on me, except the listlessness of the man. There's just nothing more to tell, I'm afraid.

Wout de Natris - van der Borght 

Can't Take My Story Away. Elles Bailey

With Elles Bailey we welcome a new name to the blog. The English singer-songwriter released her sixth album this year, excluding two live albums, since 2017. All the previous efforts passed me by and that changed recently.

On Can't Take My Story Away Elles Bailey shows a few sides to herself. With a voice well west of Four Roses' commercial saying "nothing's changed really", she takes us down a soul, country(rock) and blues adventure. In several songs this all comes together. The record starts with that voice. It almost has the grit that Janice Joplin used to have and Bonnie Raitt should wish to have. Musically I would connect the latter singer with Elles Bailey. The way all the genres are somehow connected is not unlike the albums I know by Raitt.

That is why in my opinion Can't Take My Story Away will be associated with the U.S. far sooner than the U.K. Everything ms. Bailey presents here has its origin in U.S. musical culture. She has mastered it all and made it her own signature.

For years, I am a fan of Swiss-American singer-songwriter Beth Wimmer. The start of this album reminds me a lot of several of her songs. Her voice is sweeter, as is her approach to the songs. It is all in the vibe of the two artists where the similarity lies. I can Beth easily hear singing the title song or 'Growing Roots'.

Photo: R. Blackham

Where the use of instruments is concerned, Elles Bailey obviously has a wider budget. The use of the horns, the warm sound of a Hammond organ, it all gives the music a broader sound, which brings soul songs of Aretha Franklin or 'Dusty In Memphis' to mind. Elles Bailey without a doubt uses the past for her music but in such a way that most songs have an urgent feel and fit perfectly in the 2020s. I have no way of knowing whether this music will attract young people to shows or mainly grey haired men and grey women at the roots of their hair.

I must admit that towards the end of Can't Take My Story Away, I have heard enough. For now I blame myself, as this music is somewhat towards the fringe of my musical tastes. All before that moment is consumed with pleasure. Elles Bailey has made an album that has a great sound and her voice is almost one of a kind. It's certainly enough for now.

Wout de Natris - van der Borght 

Black and Blue 50th Anniversary. The Rolling Stones

Forty nine and a half years ago my parents took me on a roadtrip to the south of the U.K., including two uncles and aunts and a niece. That spring The Rolling Stones had released a new album called 'Black And Blue', and I would be allowed to buy the album there. It cost two pound sixty nine pence. a lot cheaper than at home it was. It was my first Stones album, followed within a few months by 'Goat's Head Soup' and Get Your Ya-ya's Out.

On the radio pirate station 'Mi Amigo' the new single of The Rolling Stones was announced and played, 'Hey Nigrita'. It turned out that the leaked song was not the single. One week later 'Fool To Cry' was played. Both songs were a bit of a shock for the young Stones fan I was. But then, I only knew a few singles at the time and that was it.

Black And Blue is often displayed as a weak intermediate album by a band that had to reinvent itself after guitarist Mick Taylor had left the band in 1974. Now I have always found Black And Blue a very strong album. An album on which the band dared to experiment with a host of styles. It was far removed from the formalistic band it would become from the 80s onwards, until 2023 that is.

Through the years I've always returned to it. To my 1976 album with that great cover or to the cd I bought decades later. And now my third version with the extra cd entered the home. The album got the Steven Wilson remix treatment. Yes, I have the idea that I'm hearing things (better) than before. Elements in the music have been brought forward.to garner the attention they deserve. I also experience a guitar more up front that I would not have minded had it remained more obscured, but that is a minority. Mostly the album sounds great.

Years ago I wrote that dying means never to be able to listen to 'Melody' again. And although I received a return message that we can never know, I'm not hopeful in that respect. So, I'm enjoying it while I can. 'Melody', did Billy Preston write parts or most of it?, remains the dirtiest song the Stones ever recorded.  That dragging tempo, the way the piano picks up the song, the guitar accents, the singing between Mick Jagger ad Billy Preston is masterly. Jagger sings as if he's on her trail and ready to kill. And then near the end the horns come in for a support slot that hammers the song home. It is one of band's best songs, if not the best.

With 'Memory Motel' the album contains one of the best ballads of the band. It is a song I just love to hear and sing along to. Let's not forget 'Fool To Cry'. Another superb ballad with Jagger turning his voice inside out. He had found his falsetto voice and wanted the world to know it.

With 'Hot Stuff' and 'Hey Negrita' the album has explorations into funk and with 'Cherry O Baby' into reggae. All while remaining The Rolling Stones. David Bowie with help of no less than John Lennon had released 'Fame' in 1975. The Stones recorded these forays into other musical styles in 1975. Ten years plus into the band's career, it was time for another change. It did the band a host of good.

(As an almost post scriptum. This Tuesday Jimmy Cliff died. It made me realise that he was one of two artists who introduced me to reggae, without me understanding to be listening to reggae in a conscious way. With 'I Shot The Sheriff', Eric Clapton's 1974 hit single, 'Cherry Oh Baby, was my second return to the music. Not much later Bob Marley and Peter Tosh started to score hits and UB 40 entered the musical scene.)

Finally, there are two straightforward rockers, 'Hand Of Fate' and 'Crazy Mama', so the fans of old would have a handle to hold on to. Especially 'Hand of Fate' is a very strong song. All together the songs make for a great album in which the band branched out in a very successful way.

On the second cd the already released 'Shame Shame Shame' can be found. The Stones turned the Shirley & Company number 1 hit into a fun Rolling Stones song with Jagger enjoying himself no little. His explorations into the nightlife of NYC were paying themselves back here. The second new song 'Love Letters' is a soul track, a nice to have but not a must have.

The jams with the guitarists who did not become the new member are nice to hear but not exceptional. All together this makes the re-release of Black And Blue far less urgent than e.g. 'Goat's Head Soup' and 'Tattoo You' as the additional cd there contained truly good songs, that would have made one great record together, say as 'Tattoo You Too'.

The clear sound of the new mix does make it of interest to buy the album. Steven Wilson did a very good job here. It provides a very good excuse to play my old fave album a few more times once again.

Wout de Natris - van der Borght 

Five By Five. The Rolling Stones

Five by Five is an EP released by The Rolling Stones in 1964 and contains five songs the band recorded in the legendary Chess Studio in 1964 during its first tour of the U.S. A hommage to its musical heroes. The sleeve picture shows five young men with already longish hair, a bit defiant in a we against the world pose. Jagger in a striped shirt he was often seen in at the time.

As I already wrote some years ago, my father was a merchant marine, see the Louis Armstrong/Wonosobo post. In 1978 he sailed from Rotterdam to London twice in a few months and I took the opportunity to sail along on the Mississippi Lloyd. The second time was the ship's final voyage, as it was sold to another firm. Symbolically, the trip went from to New Orleans, sailing up the Mississippi river, as my dad told us later to the sound of Pussycat's number one hitsingle of 1975, 'Mississippi'.

In London I sought out the local record shops for unique records. In one, in some street we just happened to pass, and for the life of me have no clue where it was located, they had this bunch of The Rolling Stones' early singles, that I'd never seen before. 'Got Live If You Want It', is the other EP I bought. The singles were in blue and white Decca sleeves. They must have been reprints, but welcome nonetheless.

Why Five By Five on the blog today? With my band Sweetwood we are playing 'Around And Around' for years, as did my previous band, Flopsband, that will celebrate its 50th anniversary in January. It is one of the most exciting rock and roll songs I know. Everything The Rolling Stones were at the time seems to come together in this song. Wild, exciting, defiant and the willingness to explore the outer edges of a genre. 'Around And Round' rocks, big time.

I remember playing the EP at home for the first time that I was utterly disappointed with the A-side. The B-side starting with 'Confessing The Blues' and ending with 'Around And Around' was my favourite alright. Now I never was much of a fan of The Stones' early albums, as in pre-1968. That has not fully changed over the years. For most singles from the 1963 - 1967 era that is totally different though.

Yesterday, my wife and singer of Sweetwood, started singing 'Around And Around' and I decided to get out the old EP. Starting of course with the B-side. As always, it was instantly pleasing. That nice blues rendition followed by some good old rock and roll never fails to work. My surprise was in turning the single over and hearing 'If you Need Me', followed by 'Empty Heart'. I really loved hearing the songs and what one of my favourite bands of all time did with them. (O.k., the 2120 etc. song is a bit of a filler.) The Stones managed to capture the excitement they caused by playing live on tape, that much is certain. The band was on fire recording these songs, perhaps fully inspired by the environment they were recording in.

What remains to write are two things. 1) The anecdote Keith Richard told about the painter in the studio being Muddy Waters. Waters has always denied ever having painted the Chess studio at any time. So either a) Keith's story is a fantasy, b) Muddy was too ashamed to admit having to paint to earn money, or c) someone pulled Keith's leg. Whatever it was, it is a nice anecdote. The music remains what is for ever. Five By Five is a great EP. 2) The EP should have been called Five By Six, as Ian Stewart's keyboard and boogie-woogie piano contributions are such an integral part of the band's sound here. He must have been one of the most gracious men ever, the way he was kicked out of the band, yet remained as a sidekick for the rest of his far too short life.

Wout de Natris - van der Borght 

The Void. Taylor Rae

Taylor Rae trok in Verenigde Staten al flink de aandacht met haar prima debuutalbum Mad Twenties en laat op het minstens even goede The Void horen dat haar vorige album zeker geen toevalstreffer was.

Taylor Rae werd mij aangeprezen als countrypop ster, maar met countrypop heeft haar muziek niets te maken. De muzikante uit Austin, Texas, verwerkt vooral invloeden uit de folk, blues en jazz in tijdloos klinkende Amerikaanse rootsmuziek en singer-songwriter pop. In muzikaal opzicht valt vooral het bluesy gitaarspel op, maar het is de stem van Taylor Rae die de meeste aandacht trekt. De Amerikaanse muzikante beschikt over een mooie stem, die zich als de spreekwoordelijke warme deken om je heen slaat. Alles op The Void klinkt even aangenaam, wat het album al snel onweerstaanbaar maakt, maar het tweede album van Taylor Rae ademt ook kwaliteit.

Mad Twenties, het in de herfst van 2021 verschenen debuutalbum van Taylor Rae, deed het in de Verenigde Staten heel erg goed, maar heeft in Europa volgens mij nauwelijks aandacht gekregen. Ik had het album tot voor kort zelf ook nog nooit beluisterd, maar ben echt aangenaam verrast door het eerste album van Taylor Rae. 

De singer-songwriter uit Austin, Texas, krijgt hier en daar het label countrypop opgeplakt, maar op Mad Twenties laat ze een verrassend veelzijdig geluid horen, dat zowel binnen de Amerikaanse rootsmuziek als binnen de singer-songwriter pop op een breed terrein uit de voeten kan. 

De belangrijkste reden om alsnog naar Mad Twenties, waarop ik zeker nog terug ga komen, te luisteren is het feit dat Taylor Rae deze week haar tweede album heeft uitgebracht. Het is een album waaraan ik, na mijn kennismaking met Mad Twenties, begon met hele hoge verwachtingen, maar ook The Void heeft me zeker niet teleurgesteld. 

Het album opent prachtig met een akoestische gitaar en de stem van Taylor Rae, die ook op haar tweede album makkelijk indruk maakt met haar stem. Wanneer de openingstrack na een tijdje wat voller wordt ingekleurd is er direct weer het warme en volstrekt tijdloze geluid dat het debuutalbum van Taylor Rae zo mooi en bijzonder maakte en dat gemaakt lijkt voor lome zondagen. 

Het is een geluid dat nog mooier, warmer en smaakvoller klinkt dan op het debuutalbum van de Texaanse muzikante en dat de hand van een ervaren producer verraadt. Dat is de met een Grammy beloonde muzikant en producer Eric Krasno zeker, al moet ik toegeven dat zijn naam bij mij geen belletje deed rinkelen. 

Taylor Rae maakte haar nieuwe album met een zeer compacte band en tekent zelf voor prachtig gitaarspel. Het is gitaarspel dat akoestisch en folky kan klinken, maar op The Void is ook een belangrijke rol weggelegd voor elektrisch versterkt bluesy gitaarspel, dat de songs op het album voorziet van een heerlijk loom karakter. 

Het zorgt ook op het nieuwe album van Taylor Rae weer voor een tijdloos en soms wat nostalgisch aandoend geluid met invloeden uit de folk, blues, country en jazz. Het is een warm en zeer aangenaam geluid en het is een geluid waarin de mooie en eveneens warme stem van Taylor Rae uitstekend gedijt. 

Het is een stem die me af en toe wel wat doet denken aan die van Norah Jones en dat is wat mij betreft een groot compliment. De gloedvolle zang op het album past perfect bij de stemmige klanken op het album en weet zich wat mij betreft in positief opzicht te onderscheiden binnen het aanbod van het moment. Dat doet de Amerikaanse muzikante niet alleen met de muziek op The Void en met haar stem, maar ook met de songs, die niet alleen tijdloos klinken, maar ook kwaliteit ademen. 

Toen ik eerder deze week naar Mad Twenties luisterde verbaasde het me dat dit album in Nederland echt nauwelijks aandacht heeft gekregen. Ook The Void duikt niet op in de meeste lijsten met nieuwe albums en ook qua recensies is het nog redelijk stil, buiten een Britse recensie waarin het album wordt vergeleken met Deeper Well van Kacey Musgraves. Dat hoor ik er zelf niet direct in, al is de sfeer op beide albums wel deels vergelijkbaar. Het maakt The Void van Taylor Rae voor mij nog wat onweerstaanbaarder.

Erwin Zijleman

 

Je kunt The Void hier luisteren en bestellen:

https://taylorraemusic.bandcamp.com/album/the-void-2 

I Kept These Old Blues. Muireann Bradley

De Ierse muzikante Muireann Bradley is pas 18 jaar oud, maar vertolkt op haar debuutalbum I Kept These Old Blues stokoude bluessongs met werkelijk prachtig gitaarwerk en de doorleefde stem van een oude ziel.

Muireann Bradley kwam de coronapandemie door met het luisteren naar stokoude bluessongs en het leren spelen van deze songs op haar gitaar. Op haar zestiende vertolkte ze een aantal van deze songs op haar debuutalbum, dat helaas niet de aandacht kreeg die het album verdiende. De opgepoetste versie van I Kept These Old Blues kreeg een nieuwe kans en verdient absoluut een plekje in de spotlights. Muireann Bradley trekt de aandacht met fraai fingerpicking gitaarspel en met het gevoel dat ze in haar songs legt. De vertolkingen van de bluessongs uit het verre verleden zijn behoorlijk sober, maar I Kept These Old Blues verveelt echt geen moment en maakt steeds meer indruk.

Tussen de recente nieuwe albums kwam ik I Kept These Old Blues van Muireann Bradley tegen. Het is geen echt nieuw album, want het debuutalbum van de Ierse muzikante verscheen oorspronkelijk aan het eind van 2023, vlak voor haar zeventiende verjaardag, bij een klein Amerikaans label. Muireann Bradley maakte vervolgens indruk tijdens de jaarlijkse Hootenanny Nieuwjaar show van Jools Holland, maar echt breed opgepakt werd I Kept These Old Blues destijds niet. 

Ik was eind 2023 zelf ook niet heel erg onder de indruk van het album, maar weet niet meer precies waarom de bijzondere songs van Muireann Bradley me destijds niet wisten te raken. Mogelijk had het te maken met de geluidskwaliteit, want het is waarschijnlijk niet voor niets dat het album deze week in een geremasterde versie is uitgebracht. 

Muireann Bradley komt uit het Ierse County Donegal en is nog altijd pas achttien jaar oud. Ze perfectioneerde haar gitaarspel tijdens de coronapandemie en dit gitaarspel is een van de sterke punten van I Kept These Old Blues. Op het album moeten we het doen met de stem en het gitaarspel van de Ierse muzikante, maar beiden zijn prachtig. Muireann Bradley tekent op haar debuutalbum voor fraai akoestisch fingerpicking gitaarspel, dat zeker in de geremasterde versie de ruimte prachtig vult. 

De Ierse muzikante heeft een zwak voor bluessongs zoals deze ruim honderd jaar geleden werden gemaakt. De oude blues op haar debuutalbum valt niet alleen op door het uitstekende gitaarspel van Muireann Bradley, maar ook door haar bijzondere stem. De Ierse muzikante was pas 16 jaar oud toen ze de songs op I Kept These Old Blues opnam. Dat hoor je met enige regelmaat, want de stem van Muireann Bradley kan behoorlijk jong klinken, maar aan de andere kant is de Ierse muzikante ook een oude ziel, die de stokoude bluessongs op het album met veel gevoel en doorleving vertolkt. 

Het doet me met grote regelmaat denken aan de vroege albums van Gillian Welch, die weliswaar songs uit een andere genre vertolkte, maar wel songs uit dezelfde tijd en dit bovendien deed met ongeveer dezelfde middelen. De stemmen van de twee lijken ook wel wat op elkaar, zeker wanneer de stem wat overslaat. 

Muireann Bradley maakt op haar debuutalbum vijftig minuten muziek met slechts haar gitaar en haar stem, maar I Kept These Old Blues houdt de aandacht verrassend makkelijk vast en verslapt eigenlijk geen moment. Het album krijgt deze week een tweede kans met een geremasterde versie op de streaming media diensten en op vinyl en cd en wat mij betreft wordt het debuutalbum van de Ierse muzikante dit keer breed opgepakt. 

I Kept These Old Blues blaast nieuw leven in honderd jaar oude songs en maakt dankzij het fraaie gitaarwerk en de overtuigende stem van Muireann Bradley makkelijk indruk. Ik ben lang niet altijd gek op dit soort akoestische blues en het fingerpicking gitaarwerk dat is te horen op I Kept These Old Blues, maar het album heeft wat mij betreft een bijzondere uitwerking op de luisteraar, zeker wanneer deze terecht komt in de ontspannende flow die het debuutalbum van Muireann Bradley heeft. Het is een album dat nog wat meer glans krijgt wanneer je je bedenkt dat de Ierse muzikante nog altijd pas 18 jaar oud is. We gaan nog veel van haar horen, dat is zeker.

Erwin Zijleman

 

Je kunt I Kept These Old Blues hier bestellen:

https://tompkinssquare.bandcamp.com/album/i-kept-these-old-blues 

One More Trip Around The Sun. Cari Cari

Cari Cari entered this blog and my life with the fantastic and very energetic album 'Anaana' in 2018. The album was followed by 'Welcome To KooKoo Island' in 2022. An album that followed the same procedure but was just a little less than the official debut. That makes the third album more important. Is it a trend or a new take on the duo's music?

The first single of the album 'if u know u know' did not convince me, the second single and title song did. Add it together and the conclusion is that Cari Cari has left the musical path it was on and changed course in a dramatic way. On One More Trip Around The Sun there are at best some traces of the duo's energetic surfrock and reverb drenched music. The question is then of course, is the change successful?

Cleverly, the album opens with the title track. It has a trace of the surf guitar but also is extremely psychedelic, which brings memories of the previous two albums (and debut EP). The differences stand out a lot more, as the sound is very different and quiet, subdued. The male voice is dominant, where usually the female voice is. Two things jump at me. How psychedelic this song is, as in incorporating everything released since 1966 until today but also how mesmerising 'One More Trip Around The Sun' sounds. This is the kind of song that gets more under my skin with each listening session.

The song is the start of a musical trip Cari Cari takes me on. On two levels. The first is the makeover Cari Cari has undergone after the tour following 'Welcome To KooKoo Island' and the recording of One More Trip Around The Sun. This is simply not the same band from a musical point of view. The changes are so profound that I doubt if I had recognised the album to be Cari Cari's had I heard the album unexpectedly and without forewarning. There is more likeness to Dutch duo Donna Blue than ever before.

For level two, we get to the quality of One More Trip Around The Sun itself. I notice that with each spin I like the album better than the time before. Songs that at their primary level are not spectacular, are fantastic at the level above the chord changes. The arrangements, the inner tension Cari Cari creates, the elementary instruments that are all in their exact right place. Heck, in the final song 'Goodbye, Stranger', the duo even pulls off a successful Lana del Rey song.

The Vienna based duo Alexander Köck and Stephanie Widmer are at home in many places in the world, sucking up impressions and translating them into music. On One More Trip Around The Sun this led to a far more subtle blues / garage rock form, as in a The White Stripes and Blood Red Shoes style, then ever before. The volume is down and the band wants its fans to listen. In my 'Anaana' review I already pointed to Chris and Carla of The Walkabouts, that reference is more applicable to the duo's new album than ever before.

It is of course to early to tell, but I would be surprised if One More Trip Around The Sun would not turn out to be one of the important albums of 2025. At this point in time it's leading the pack alright.

Wout de Natris - van der Borght

 

You can listen to and order One More Trip Around The Sun here:

https://caricari.bandcamp.com/album/one-more-trip-around-the-world

The best albums 2000 - 2024, 6 of 10

And then I thought, I'm missing albums here. Luckily, it turned out that I skipped this list of 10 in my list of draft posts. Not that you will notice, it just gave me a fright that despite rigorous checking album I by accident skipped some albums. I hadn't, pfff, so here is numbers 60 to 51.

60. Rough And Rowdy Ways. Bob Dylan (2020)

My album of 2020 is not found that high in this list. I can't say that I've played it a lot since then. Despite that, it remains a return to form for the old bard. The album has a great mood and most of the songs are very strong. I can't say that it would end in the top five of my favourite Bob Dylan albums. They are simply so much better. Rough And Rowdy Ways is the album no one expected to come any more and surprised in various ways. That is what makes it so good and exceptional.

 

59. A Rush Of Blood To The Head. Coldplay (2002)

One of two albums by Coldplay in this list. After A Rush Of Blood To The Head things went downwards musically quite fast. Not financially or where the band's success is concerned. I had heard the songs of this album before it was released. The Paradiso show was rescheduled to the, then, "beer hall" in Amsterdam. From 1200 to 5000 people, the demand was a lot larger than expected. The strength with which the show and later the album kicked off, 'Politik', said it all. Coldplay was going to rock harder and did. Masterpiece 'Clocks' led the way as well. The band's first big hit. Not the band's best album but still a well deserved spot in this list.

58. Love What You Do. The Hackensaw Boys (2005)

The second and last The Hackensaw Boys album in this list. In that first show I saw, see 'Keep It Simple', there was this song that made shivers run down my spine. It was on this album and is called 'Alabama Shamrock'. It is also the album that contains 'Cannonball' not the band's best song but certainly the closest it had to a hit, as it made everyone sing along in shows. Love What You Do also showed to me that this band changed members faster than the change of seasons occur. In 2024 there's only one constant left, David Sickmen, the rest are anonymous band members. My friends, are all (long) gone. What remains is an album like Love What You Do. It's the band's best.

57. Not God. Finom (2024)

A band that changes its name per album is a disaster, seen from a marketing point of view. Musically though I can't complain. Where the album under the name Ohmme was left behind on the long list, the most recent album by Sima Cunningham and Macie Stewart under the name Finom is incredibly good. From the staccato way of playing and singing right up to the exuberance on display, Not God is an album to undergo completely. In 2024 there were a few albums by women that I cherished but not a single one comes close to Not God. Whatever the name of the band is next time, if the quality is this good, who cares?! The one thing is, I need to pay attention.

 

56. Origin Of Symmetry. Muse (2001)

Muse was the last band I discovered in the 20th century. Coming home from band practice on Thursday evenings I always had to unwind before being able to sleep. I always watched 'Alter 8' for a while on MTV and it showed a song by Muse, 'Muscle Museum'. The next day I bought the album. This is the band's second album with a host of strong singles, starting with the fantastic 'Plug In Baby' with its signature riff longer than the road to Rome. Origin Of Symmetry in everything was the boss over the band's debut album 'Showbiz'. With further singles like 'New Born' and 'Bliss' Muse became a household name in alternative rock, slowly climbing to the stadium act it already is for years.

 

55. Push The Sky Away. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds (2013)

My first Nick Cave album and one I bought as an LP a few years later. Why did Cave all of a sudden touch me? Good question. Most likely because I decided to download the album from The Pirate Bay because of a review I'd read. Four of the songs really got to me. Songs like 'Jubilee Street' and 'Higgs Boson Blues' just did it. It made me start listening to the man and his band for the first time. I haven't stopped since but also have not bothered to look back so far, with one exception, 'Dig Lazarus Dig'. Who knows, if I run into something second hand, I might buy some more. Push The Sky Away keeps coming by regularly, so deserves a spot here, despite not making it to my year list in 2013.

 

54. Ghosteen. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds (2021)

And yet another Nick Cave album. His mourning album for his 15 year old son Arthur, who fell of a cliff. Not much later he lost a second son. Ghosteen is an impressive album but also hard to listen to, not as hard as Lou Reed's 'Berlin' but you have the picture. The album is so quiet for the most part that The Bad Seeds could well have stayed at home. Cave is pouring his heart, mind and grief out over us. Shows became therapeutic sessions for singer and audience. Musically he grew to great heights though as Ghosteen is a monument.

53. Somos. Jarabe de Palo (2014)

Somos is Pau Dones last studio album before he became ill and left the music business to die at the age of 54. On Somos he is the exuberance itself. Somos is a celebration of fun to be had in and through music. My album of 2014 is not his best album, be patient, but is so deserving of having a place here. The band is in great form and the songs show why. Somos is party time and Jarabe De Palo shares it with the whole world. By then the band didn't bother to play up here any more. The latin part of the Americas lay at the band's feet by then. And then it all came to a tragic stop. One album was to follow, not unlike David Bowie released as a surprise just before Dones' death. Let Somos be the album to remember him by.

52. Rock n Roll. Ryan Adams (2003)

There were days that a new Ryan Adams album was released by the week it seemed, so many came out. Of inconsistent quality, o.k., but never bad. One of these albums stood out for me and here it is, Rock n Roll. To me it is the Ryan Adams album. As far as the Americana artist rocked, it is here. The album is extremely varied and brings together what I truly like about Ryan Adams. Part of that is his voice, the other half how he approaches his songs on this album. Rock n Roll comes across as far more direct and that pays off. Whatever happened to and more importantly because of Adams' behaviour in later years, he never surpassed this album for me.

51. Cluster Funk. Death Goldbloom (2014)

A totally obscure band from Vancouver B.C., Death Goldbloom brings us halfway of this list. Natalie Ramsay, a singer-songwriter from Vancouver was interviewed by me and pointed me to a guitarist she thought was great and here came Cluster Funk my way. Tim Claridge and drummer Tomek lay it all down on this rock album. Claridge is a guitarist extra ordinair. Just listen to all those lead and rhythm guitar parts he lays down on the album. His voice sounds not unlike the singer of Masters of Reality, Chris Goss. Death Goldbloom mixes classic rock with elements of desert rock and electric blues. The devil, 66(6), satanic, it is all pretty dark in the Vancouver of Tim Claridge. It pays off though, as Cluster Funk is a fantastic mini album of six songs. That darkness only distracts from how Claridge and Tomek are playing. They really rock out and can turn a soft blues into a sonic storm. And then there's '66th And Crimson' the absolute top song of Cluster Funk. Check it out folks. By the way, if I remember corrected it is Natalie Ramsay you hear singing background vocals on that fantastic song '66th And Crimson'.

Wout de Natris - van der Borght

The best albums 2000 - 2024, 10 of 10

Incredible, but the first quarter of the 21 century is nearly over.. Yes, yes, I know officially the 21st century started on 1 January 2001 but doesn't that look strange? So, I chose to run a list of the 100 best albums, in my humble opinion, of the years 2000 - 2024. It may be that I have missed some, as I never kept true score of albums. However, there is a huge archive to fall back on: my end of year lists on this blog and in WoNo Magazine before that, starting all the way back in 2001. That gives a very solid basis. So, yes, there may be an album I got acquainted to in the year(s) after its release and subsequently forgot about. So be it.

There are albums in this list that I remember as very good but haven't played for years, but put it in anyway. More recent years are more at the front of my memory. It is a fair question whether these albums would still be in here, had they been ten or more years old. There's no way of telling. All in all, it is a good cross section for most years. Only 2006 is not represented I noticed.

100 Albums. That is a lot. Can any of these albums match the impact the albums that I got to know in puberty? The albums that are a true part of me? Most likely not, but that said, some of them certainly come close. Even in the past few years a few albums have. I will have to wait a while before I know for certain. What I know with almost certainty, a list for the next 25 years seems highly unlikely.  Let's start this adventure with:

100. Ten Aarzel. Krang (2000)

Krang is the band of, also, comedian André Manuel, a man who got fined for baring his bottom to the (to be) king and (to be) queen. He sings in the local dialect of eastern The Netherlands, with his loud but raspy voice. Musically, Krang is somewhere between De Kift, Tom Waits and Kaisers Orchestra, lyrically he is everywhere, even on a bicycle with Herman Brood and Marco Pantani, the former Tour de France winner or lauding the beauty of a field full of leek. Krang released several nice albums in the first years of the zeros. This was my first one and deserves a spot on this list. Not in the least because of the great live shows I went to in those years. A great title as well. It translates into something like forward, hesitating.

99. Working Man's Cafe. Ray Davies (2007)

The former The Kinks frontman Ray Davies, released five albums this century, if I include one with choir versions of his old The Kinks hits. All are good but this one is simply better. The songs are almost as good as his old hits and stick to the mind like glue. In the year Davies turned 80 years, I celebrate his great career with a spot in this list.

98. Bang The Drum. The Maureens (2015)

Former Utrecht band The Maureens released four albums in the past 12 years. They were all on my longlist. But life is hard, choices need to be made. The Maureens' mix of pop, California's west Coast muiss and The Beatles, is nearly irresistible. Its songwriter Hendrik-Jan de Wolff is able to find the extra melodies in all his songs. His band members are very capable of playing and not to forget singing them. On record and on stage the band always delivers. With a song like 'September' on this album, it scores the extra points to make it here with ease.

97. Riding With The King. Eric Clapton and BB King (2000)

The owner of an American grill restaurant in Matsumoto, Japan, can claim to be the reason why this album is in this list. He played it all evening long while frying delicious American chicken wings, slices of beef and what not for us. In a further totally empty place full of U.S. memorabilia, while not speaking more than five words English. Clapton and King were going through their set of blues songs where all the danger has been taken out, yet play with so much joy and obvious respect for one another. Once home I bought the album immediately and have played it many times, but not as often as that Japanese gentleman, bar owner and cook.

 96. Everything Now. Arcade Fire (2017)

I'm following Arcade Fire since the first album, 'Funeral', but never became a true fan. In fact, I do not own any of the albums between 'Funeral' and Everything Now. The upbeat songs really got to me and the mood changes are simply superb. I played my LP version a lot. and was totally surprised to find out that it is already seven years old.

95. Songs Of Praise. Shame (2018)

The first post punk album by the latest generation post punkers from Ireland and the U.K. on the list. Shame never really delivered on its promise. Songs Of Praise is an album that is charged with the energy of a young, new band that went into its hobby in the hope of turning it into a career. It has it all and the band does not hold back for one second. Especially the second album seemed far more calculated, the third somewhere in between (With fantastic artwork though. I wear the touring t-shirt proudly.) Songs Of Praise is the Shame album to really check out, but do take it from there.

94. The First Exit. Tramhaus (2024)

The first really new album. It is hard to really judge the mettle of albums so new in the years to come. I am quite convinced though that The First Exit, Tramhaus' debut album, will be one that stays. The post punk band is extremely inventive in finding the more awkward melodies and yet make them work with such ease. Now touring extensively through Europe with undoubtedly more to come, this band will grow and become bigger and bigger and will be able to compete with the best of them. Tramhaus truly is a young band worthwhile following and live close to a sensation. At number 94, it is conservatively scored for now.

93. Oh, Mayhem. Bettie Serveert (2013)

Bettie Serveert, over thirty years ago, was the indie darlings of The Netherlands and far beyond. Now the band is in semi-retirement, has not released a new album for eight years and its members have regular jobs. Only recently they started to play some shows together again. Oh, Mayhem is the example of the albums of this quarter century. 'Log 22', 'Pharmacy Of Love', 'Damaged Good' all could have taken Oh, Mayhem's place. All the albums are more than just good. The world is a little less good because Bettie Serveert is not releasing new albums any more.

92. The Hazards Of Love. The Decemberists (2009)

A rock opera, no less by The Decemberists. I loved the album from the moment I found out about it, shortly after its release in 2009. Together with its 2024 album, my favourite. I decided against featuring 'As It Ever Was, So It Will Be Again' at the very final decision point of this list. It is too new to make a truly correct decision on the final 100. The Hazards Of Love truly takes the listener up and down like a rollercoaster. Fire and brimstone, hell and damnation versus ferry-like love. It all comes by, in abundance. The Decemberist make music at a very consistent level but this one sticks out just this little more.

91. Mesmerize. System of a Down (2005)

Speaking of musical rollercoaster.s The four Californians of Armenian decent take their listeners through all sorts of emotions. Where singer Serj Tankian may sound crazy, when Daron Malakian takes over craziness is but a metaphor. Gotham's Arkham seems like a funfare. In my opinion the band never made a better album then Mesmerize. All the inventions and inspiration, twist and turns that can come out of and into a single song were blended superbly. (And then there's the hit single 'Chop Suey' of course.) Mesmerize rocks in abundance but don't throw out opera, reggae and so much more. The album has it all and then some. 

Wout de Natris - van der Borght

2024, week 49. 10 singles

No extra words today. Just, enjoy!

As Good As It Gets (feat. Mitski). Katie Gavin

We open this week with a dream track by an artist who finds herself on WoNoBlog for the first time. Katie Gavin is accompanied by Mitski. As Good As It Gets is a love song says Gavin. It is a song about being totally relaxed and comfortable in a settled relationship, about looking forward to getting old and taking on the highs and lows together. Gavin sets this topic against soft music, present, sure but soft. As relaxed as the topic of the lyrics is. The mood it creates though is one of urgency and focus. The mysterious rhythm in the background, whatever it is, gives the song something extra, otherworldly, that befits the dreamy way of singing by especially Katie Gavin. Some instruments are allowed to step forward for a few notes, after which they recede or disappear. As Good As It Gets is an extremely nice song from the album 'What A Relief'.

In My Chambers EP. Wiri Donna

Well over two years ago Wiri Donna (Bianca Bailey) debuted on this blog first with a single and then her debut EP 'Being Alone'. On In My Chambers Wiri Donna pushes in the pedal some more. The first songs on the EP are very much alternative rock, where she is not afraid to move towards the edges of a song. Not that songs are off key, but the musicians are stretching what is considered conventional. For people like me this means that things get exciting and worthwhile checking out seriously. Further on in the EP you will find that the light and the shade approach to music, I mentioned Shocking Blue, The Police and Nirvana as examples in 2022, return on In My Chambers. Things could undoubtedly get wilder, in her choice of music Wiri Donna goes at pretty wild alright. Ms. Bailey loves to rock out, that much is sure. Much more so than in 2022. Alternative rock fans should find their way to In My Chambers, as things do not get much better than this. Wiri Donna convinces fully. Two EPs down, I'm a fan.

Raving At The Wall. Eric Barlow

Again a debut, as a solo artist. True connaisseurs will have encountered Barlow as a member of the Boston and NYC music scene since the 1990s. Which I was not. Thanks to Malibou Lou I am these last several years. Today Eric Barlow enters my life with his second solo single for the upcoming album 'Still Moving Parts'. Fans of music from many decades ago, let's say from the 1960s to 1990s will hear what I'm hearing on Raving At The Wall. A mix of pop and rock that sings of the joys of life and great fun music is. Watch out for a great riff here, an oh so nice lead melody there and a song overall that contains small snippets of The Beatles, Bowie, The Lemonheads and what not. Raving at the wall is not what I call having fun. However, when it's caught in music like Eric Barlow presents, count me in for a short while.

Détour. La Sécurité

Debut number three already this week. Montreal, Canada based band La Sécurité signed to Bella Union and celebrates this with the release of its single Détour. Montreal is in Quebec, so primarily a French language town. The title suggests a French song. It is primarily English though, for those who got worried reading this. La Sécurité plays music as if it is 1977-79, with the first albums of bands like Talking Heads and The B52s being released. In other words, the music is square and not round. The hooky rhythm propels the song forward. We used to call that kind of music new wave. Détour in that sense is a very outdated sounding song. From there the fun starts though. Ian Dury is another example. Just like his 'Sex And Drug And Rock And Roll', or 'Psycho Killer' and 'Private Idaho' of the other two examples are hooky, they are all great fun. A great introduction with more, undoubtedly, to come.

She's Got A Problem. HotWax

"She's got a problem and she's gonna get something done", that is what the title starts off in my head immediately. HotWax' song has very little to do with the Fountains of Wayne song. This is modern punk rock, with some latter day twist no punker would ever have come up with close to fifty years ago. HotWax does and puts itself in line with recent bands like Blood Red Shoes, Wet Leg, Sprints and many others. The Hastings trio is not holding back, except for the short psychedelic interlude. She's Got A Problem is exciting. There's no other word for it. There's a ton of energy poured into the song and it just shares and shares it with the world. From the drums intro to the dying seconds, this song rocks huge. I don't know what it is with U.K. bands but nearly always I prefer them way above American ones. HotWax is no exception, based on this single that is. Yes, again a debut band. Album 'Hot Shock' is underway.

Astoria EP. Robin Guthrie

Robin Guthrie was on this blog with two singles in 2021. Of course the artist's career goes back all the way to the 1980s. Today, he releases soft flowing instrumental tracks that are at times very much worthwhile to listen to. Take his latest EP Astoria. The compositions just swirl into my ears. Pleasant melodies just circle around, while I'm feeling more and more relaxed. Not that nothing happens in the songs. Take 'Starting Fires'. More and more instruments are woven into the primary melody, making it more complex to listen to and interesting to listen to. 'Starting Fires' at heart is a sort of ambient music, like all tracks on Astoria start out, after which the song develops into something else. A track like 'Jura' is pure Kairos material. Layer upon layer of synths play out, creating ever more complex melodies weaving in and out of each other. No, Astoria has nothing to do with rock and loud guitars, it's still beautiful to listen to.

Ohio All The Time. Momma

And another firster on the blog. No, Momma is not from Ohio, but Brooklyn in New York. Momma is a band that plays into the likes of Warpaint with a little more laying into the guitars than synths. Ohio All The Time rocks. I do not know anything about Ohio, except a recent news item on plastic pollution in the Ohio river but that is about it. Reading the short bio, I find that the band is not new but has scored a hit in 2003 called 'Bang Bang'. Whether they did anything in the meantime, I don't know and am too lazy to look it up. Based on this single, the band can count me in. Ohio All The Time brings back good memories and adds a new one. Over a layer of guitars Mommy's singer is able to sing softly with a innocent voice. The excitement is left to the lead guitarist who is allowed to kick up a storm here and there. Just like it should every once in a while.

Mockingbird. Larkin Poe

With Mockingbird Larkin Poe may have released my favourite song by the duo to date. The song rocks with a tough blues sound, but also is a kind of ballad and easily could be translated into a country song, modern and traditional. Rebecca en Megan Lovell step out of their comfort zone it seems. The crying slide sound is there but in a totally different background. The singer who comes to my mind foremost is Swiss-American Beth Wimmer. She would never record a song in this fashion, but Mockingbird could be one of her songs kicked into life in a totally different and near unrecognisable way. I love the way Mockingbird is built up. With the intro where slide plays the lead, to the first verse where the tough voice of Rebecca leads, before the song blows up with the whole band kicking in, the harmony vocals between the sisters join in. The chorus is simply absolutely great. Mockingbird is a song extraordinaire.

Medicine Ball. The Yearlings

The Yearlings up to now was just a name to me. Surprising, as a long hiatus apart, the band has been active since the late 90s. Following two albums in the 00s and one in 2018, the band is on route to its fourth release in 2025. Still with the original members, Olaf Koeneman, Niels Goudswaard, Herman Gaaff, Léon Geuyen and Bertram Mourits, with Martijn Vink as additional guitarist since early this year. The music presented with Music Ball brings back memories from long ago. Not just because it is alternative/indie rock with a strong focus on melodies but also because of the melancholy mood coming out of the song. Koeneman has that kind of voice. The drums are quite tough and in contrast with most of the other things going on. Until the two lead guitars, including the slide go for it. While everything during the parts that are sung is the restraint itself. Someone's really taken off the leash here. The contrast is what makes Medicine Ball come doubly alive. The song itself already is and then some. Yes, I'm curious for this new album.

Letting You Go. Jane Willow

It's two and a half years ago that Jane Willow was on the blog last, with her (second) living room show in Haarlem, where she gained a new fan in everyone present. Here's her new single, Letting You Go' off her upcoming EP 'Watch Me Fall'. The Dublin by way of Breda based singer-songwriter shows that she still honing her songwriting skills. Letting You Go is a delicate ballad of the kind that settles in my brain with ease. The impression the song makes on me, is that Jane Willow is playing in a different league. This is a mature song by a mature singer-songwriter. Together with Kevin Corcoran, piano, synths, bass and Anthony Gibney, electric guitar she presents a song that radiates beauty. All I hear is so frail in sound, yet unbeatable and unbreakable. The kind of song that touches me and carries me at the same time. Jane Willow undeniably has released good music in the past, but this is truly something else. Ireland, classical and great ballads can be heard here all in one, in the singing, in the piano, in the atmosphere

Wout de Natris - van der Borght