Reviews

Melissa James is a UK based singer/songwriter already building a following on the club circuit with her heartfelt mix of soul and jazz. That fan base is set to expand with the release of this, her debut set – a 13 tracker of varied material given a unity by her warm, velvety vocal delivery. There's lots here that's radio friendly – notably 'Little Caged Bird' and 'Sing'. Both are uplifting and they'd sit comfortably on the Radio 2 daytime playlist.

Ms James can do the complex stuff too. The opener, Don't You Keep Yourself' Down' is a bass-led, lazy, jazz roller while 'You Make Me Feel Good' maintains the jazz mood in a clever, finger-clicking way. For variety, the simpler 'Sing' dips into the neo-nu soul bag (shades of India.Airie); 'Do You Remember When' has a Latin lilt about it; and 'Long Road Travelled' has its roots in country. The album boasts some fine ballads too –the best being the stately and dramatic 'I Need You Here' which you'd be forgiven for guessing had been cut in Memphis rather than London... maybe it's something to do with the fact that it was recorded in analogue, but then again, maybe it down to the commitment in the vocal.

The album offers a couple of covers too – Eric Bibb's 'Don't Ever Let Nobody Drag Your Spirit Down' and Hoagy Carmichael's 'I Get Along Without You Very Well'. On the former Melissa proves she can "do the blues" while on the Carmichael standard she crafts the album's best track. It's a beautiful rendition of a lovely song. The voice perfectly matches the sentiment, with an inner aching which convinces you that despite what she says, she won't get along without him at all and to add to the melancholy there's a plaintive muted trumpet figure shadowing the vocal.

You can find out more about this album, its live launch and a mini summer tour by going to www.melissa-james.com

(BB) 4/5

Last Updated on Monday, 14 May 2012 20:27

Ace/Kent's latest dip into the Motown archive unearths the two albums made for the label by Shorty Long. Frederick Earl Long (his diminutive stature gave him the "Shorty" nickname), like a number of other artists, came into the Gordy fold via a connection with Harvey Fuqua. Ex-Moonglow Fuqua had signed Long to his own Tri-Phi label and in 1963 when Fuqua threw in his lot with Gordy he took his artists with him. Working first with Mickey Stevenson, it soon became obvious that Long's down home, old school soul style didn't quite fit the Motown template and the claim to be "the sound of young America". Nevertheless, Gordy liked what Shorty could offer, so he instigated a new imprint, Soul, to accommodate his sound and the gutsier flavour of Junior Walker (another ex Tri-Phi artist).

Soul and Shorty hit pay dirt straight away when the tough and bluesy 'Devil With The Blue Dress' hit the R&B top 30. A clutch of hits followed – notably 'Function AT The Junction' and 'Here Comes The Judge' – a tweak on the Pigmeat Markham song that had been inspired by a catch phrase on the hugely popular 60s TV show 'Rowan and Martin's Laugh In'. On the back of those hits, in 1968, Motown released Long's first LP – named for that judge song. Though the hits then dried up Motown kept recording Long often allowing him to produce his own sessions. Future plans however came to a halt when , on 29 June 1969, Shorty was killed in a freak fishing accident on the Detroit River. He was just 29. Motown, like all other record labels would have done, decided to continue releasing his work and a couple of singles and a second LP- 'The Prime Of Shorty Long' were soon out there on the racks.

In brief, then, that's the story of Shorty Long...and despite his stature amongst Motown collectors his catalogue has long been neglected by the reissue labels and, indeed, Universal itself – the custodian of the Motown vault. Here though- to help redress matters - Ace records via their Kent imprint have coupled Shorty's two LPs and adding two bonus cuts you get everything in stereo that was issued on him.

The set's first LP is built around the aforementioned hits along with covers of stuff like the Jayhawks' 'Stranded In The Jungle' and Tina Turner's 'People Sure Act Funny'. Worth checking too is a great 'Don't Mess With My Weekend' –a rough cut Motown gem. The second, posthumous album included more covers like Fats Domino's 'I'm Walking', the old chestnut 'Memories Are Made Of This' and a take on Procul Harum's 'Whiter Shade Of Pale' – Long's last single. Then, from the Motown catalogue there's a great version of 'When You Are Available' – a song most associated with the Four Tops. The CD's included bonus cuts are stereo mixes of the singles 'Mobile Lil The Dancing Witch' and 'Chantilly Lace' – both previously unissued. Hopefully the collection will go some way to fix a place in the soul firmament for Shorty Long and, maybe too, prove to the gainsayers that Motown wasn't all easy on the ear, pop soul aimed at young America.... when they turned their attention to it, the Motown crew could do "proper" soul music too. Here's the proof!

(BB) 4/5

Last Updated on Saturday, 12 May 2012 19:15

Though jazz is unequivocally at the core of the Cheltenham Jazz Festival, its appeal has always been broader due to the varied and eclectic nature of the acts that customarily appear there – it was a case of business as usual, then, when this year's variegated line up was announced although there was a radical overhaul in terms of the venues that the festival utilised. The Town Hall and Everyman Theatre were consigned to the past as a result of the festival finding a new self-contained base at Montpellier Gardens, where it used new and temporarily-erected venues like The Big Top (a huge circus tent with a stage inside) and the Jazz Arena as its main locations. Though for hardened festival veterans – like myself - it took a little while to adjust to, overall it seemed a vast improvement on the previous arrangements where punters had to trek some distances to different venues.

Thankfully, the Daffodil Restaurant hadn't been sacrificed in the changes and played host to a couple of outstanding British singers – Jacqui Dankworth and also the up-and-coming ZARA MCFARLANE. Though diminutive in stature, McFarlane – signed to Giles Peterson's Brownsville label - proved she was a big talent. Her repertoire included timeless standards such as 'Night & Day,' 'Round Midnight' and 'My Favourite Things' as well as some strong original songs; among them the mellow 'Chiaroscuro' and 'Love's Dream.'

The 'big guns' didn't disappoint either. MARCUS MILLER (pictured) – accompanied by a band of young lions, including Maurice Brown on trumpet – served up a tasty 90-minute platter of absorbing, funk-inflected jazz. Most of the material was taken from Miller's forthcoming new album, 'Renascence,' and the titles included 'Mr Clean,' 'Detroit,' and 'February.' He also slipped in a revved-up revamp of 'Tutu,' the classic 1986 track he wrote for Miles Davis. Occasionally, he showed his prowess on the bass clarinet but what people had really come to hear was his electric bass playing. On that score, he didn't disappoint and delivered a stupendous masterclass in his signature slapped bass technique that resulted in a standing ovation at the end.

An hour or so before that in the same venue – The Big Top – another American, singer GREGORY PORTER, was raising the roof. Porter was accompanied by a UK band – including the tremendous Ben Castle on saxophone – and performed a mixture of original album cuts and jazz standards. JAMIE CULLUM – an ardent and vociferous champion of Porter – joined the hirsute singer for a rendition of the marvellous Motown-esque 'On My Way To Harlem' and also played piano on a duet with Porter of the ballad, 'Gran Torino' (the song Cullum penned for the Clint Eastwood-directed movie of the same name). Arguably the best cut was '1960 What?' a powerful message Civil Rights song taken from Porter's debut album, 'Water,' which allowed the singer's gospel roots to shine through. Certainly, on the evidence he provided at Cheltenham, Gregory Porter is one of the best singers around at the moment.

Other highlights at the festival were provided by Bill Frisell, Imelda May, Paloma Faith, jazz trio Fieldwork, the country-soul group Phantom Limb – led by the mighty voice of Yolanda Quartey – and CANDI STATON. The southern soul siren-turned-disco queen delivered a crowd-pleasing set that included her uplifting glitter ball anthem, 'Young Hearts Run Free.'

(CW)

Last Updated on Wednesday, 09 May 2012 11:12

To most music fans the O'Jays are synonymous with the Sound Of Philadelphia but the group have a long pedigree that pre-dates their role in the Gamble and Huff story and this new Shout 28 tracker allows us to catch up on part of that back story. The set chronicles their time at Imperial Records (1963- 66) and includes every track they cut for the set up.

Originally formed as a five piece in Canton, Ohio and known as the Mascots they were first signed to King Records, then after a name change to the O'Jays (after a local DJ, Eddie O'Jay who became their manager) the group worked for a variety of labels including Daco, Apollo and Little Star before pacting with New Orleans based Imperial in 1963. They were seen by label execs as a vehicle to cash in on the then burgeoning and profitable soul harmony group scene and their performances for the label are in a variety of styles. The most memorable cut on the set is that perennial Northern soul favourite 'I'll Never Forget You'. It's a great mid 60s Motown pastiche – hardly surprising since it was written by Jack Ashford who also played on the session along with Dennis Coffey, Mike Terry and Bob Babbitt. On other cuts – the wonderful 'Lonely Drifter' and 'Lipstick Traces' – the group strive for a Drifters sound... and they succeed. But what makes the music transcend karaoke style mimickry is the passion of the lead vocalists (either Eddie Levert or William Powell), the commitment of the musicians and backroom staff (people like H B Barnum and Don Davis) and the quality of the material. The songs already mentioned are the better known ones, but the album is stuffed with top notch, 60s group soul creations like 'I've Cried My last Tear' (covered in the UK by Cliff Bennett and the Rebel Rousers), the beautiful 'It Won't Hurt' (a Pam Sawyer ballad) and the wailing New Orleans chestnut 'Time Is On My Side'.

After Imperial, the O'Jays moved across to sister label, Minit where 'Working On Your Case' became a classic; then they were off to Bell before, in 1969, signing to Neptune and hooking up with Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff and the rest, of course, is history. But investigate this album and you'll discover that this particular part of the O'Jays story is no less fascinating.

(BB) 4/5

Last Updated on Monday, 07 May 2012 13:15

Though 'One' is Take 6's 14th Studio album it's a first on two counts - it's their first recoding without founding member Cedric Dent (who's gone off to a university teaching position) and it's their first full gospel set.

The band says that the inspiration behind this recording was the sound of Korean War-era gospel and they begin with a version of the Selah Singers' 1952 tune 'Down Here I've Done My Best'. Its Jubilee style approach sums up the predominant flavour of the set. In tone, arrangements and harmonic approach songs like Jackie Verdell's 'You're Gonna Need Him' and the old hymn 'Glorious Day' are full-on Pentecostal. 'Alleluia' and 'What A Friend We Have In Jesus' are the set's more tender moments while on 'Noah' the team show more of their vocal mastery by simulating instrumental parts.

To complete the set Dent's replacement – Khristian Dentley - was given the task of writing a title tune and in 'One' he's come up with a contemporary take on that swinging mid 50s gospel sound. His tune is enlivened with handclaps and a catchy guitar figure that gives the cut a block party feel.

The Gospel community will be delighted with the set while connoisseurs of precise and faultless harmonies have much to savour. Cleverly, though, the group pull of a real coup to give the album wider appeal. Back in 2010 Take 6 appeared with Stevie Wonder on a BET Honours TV show where they sang the Wonder song 'Can't Imagine Love Without You'. They later persuaded Stevie to record it with them and it's this LP's clear standout. Stevie takes lead throughout, with a typically Wonderous delivery riding on beautiful harmonies and then the man tops it off with one of his delicious (if a little predictable) harmonica solos. It's worth checking out.

(BB) 4/5