Kathryn Williams & Neill MacColl: Come With Me
Holly Rose: I Don’t Care
Doug Walker: The Mystery
Not being ‘Smash Hits’ or ‘The NME,’ one often wonders what the point of reviewing singles is. Because they only give one a snapshot into the artists abilities, I guess it comes down to whether the particular song is interesting enough to pursue the artist any further or write them off as not worth further attention. All a bit abrupt, I know, and highly dependent on being in an equable state of mind when one gets round to paying enough attention. I think I’m in this happy state just now so I’ll have a bash at these three records which have been sitting on my desk looking up at me with mournful eyes for a good week or more.
Kathryn Williams & Neill MacColl: Come With Me
CAW Records CAW014 [released February 25th]
Williams & MacColl are a sweet sounding folk/country pop sort of duo. They’re pleasant to listen to and the song selected is well produced and easy on the ear. Not startling in any way at all, but good enough to see presented as an interlude in a TV chat or comedy sketch show and feel warm and cuddly about afterwards. This is a very family friendly middle-of-the-road sound and as such presses all the right buttons. Very nice indeed.
Holly Rose: I Don’t Care
WHISKY Records WHISKY CDPR02 [released March 18th]
Now I’ve always considered myself as a straight down the line Roots Rocker and Dubby Do-Do in a Seventies Stylee as far as reggae is concerned and have rarely given much room on my decks to Lovers’ Rock and similar wet and wimpy wecords fwom the Windies.
Having said this I have to confess I’ve somewhat fallen for the charms of Ms Rose. Her blue-eyed blond-haired portrait indicates that she cannot possibly be related to the great Michael Rose of Black Uhuru fame, but nonetheless she manages to capture what I imagine to be the essence of the artform perfectly. The insistent bluebeat rhythm is overlaid with the sweetest voice you could possibly wish to hear. No complaints. I’m overcome with surprise at myself . Perhaps this is Lurv.
Doug Walker: The Mystery
Warner PRO 7065 [released March 3rd]
This reminds me very much of The Jam in Eton Rifles mode. It’s a jolly good yoof romp – sounds mildly rebellious but not at all dangerous. There’s always room on the radio for records like this – just as long as they don’t come along in threes. As Brian Wilson wrote, ‘Fun,Fun, Fun.’
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