Make Mine a Single!
With the ever-increasing rate of change in the format in which music is offered to the public, one wonders whether we really need to carry on with the traditional concepts of Singles, EPs and Albums. The big chains have more or less dispensed with the customer’s ability to buy a single and the number of albums available to buy off the shelf diminishes week-by-week. This is a great shame - there is nothing - just nothing - like holding a record in your hand: reading the blurb, admiring (or otherwise!) the artwork and anticipating the thrill of hearing the content for the first time. The domination of the market by the download is fast making record shopping a dying artform. Soon there will only be a handful of specialist record outlets and the charity and junk shops for the connoisseur to practice his/her favourite pastime in. Of course, the record companies are cashing in bigtime. They no longer have to bother with artwork, layout, packaging etc – which might be somehow good for the environment, but does little to help us enjoy our nerdy or artistic hobby to its full and traditional extent. I notice that prices have not reduced in the UK commensurate to take account of the massive savings brought about by this reduction in production of hard copy. I expect the profiteers will spin us a yarn about increased investment in artists or some such bollocks [not in Word Dictionary!]. But we will not be fooled. A number of kind agents and promotion companies do still continue to send out promotional copies of records – they know reviewers would throw in the towel if they had to download everything to work on. So I hope this does not give them any ideas! So here is a review of a handful of singles recently thus received… Das Pop
Ugly Truth Records
It seems this band, out of Belgium, had some Euro-success with this song last year and this is to be their UK debut record-wise (I believe they have already performed here). Personally, I think it’s the Euro-Dance association which will give it any chance of succeeding here - this is a peculiar market with a huge base of undiscerning non-muso fans who buy records of dubious musical value to swallow with the other substances they clearly need to maintain their lifestyle. I’d rate this as a thoroughly average – tho’ very poppy – song quite poorly sung and totally lacking in any musical interest other than a catchy tune – that could just be enough to make it a big hit!
Newton Faulkner
Ugly Truth Records Another nice song from this polished pop-troubadour – I have absolutely no problem in liking it and it deserves to be a hit – but I have to say it’s pretty lightweight. I think he’s milked the excellent ‘Handbuilt by Robots’ album enough now for people to have had their fill at that particular milkbar. He’s not Michael Jackson and the album isn’t a ‘Thriller’ or ‘Bad’! It’s time that Newton picked up his guitar and moved on. I know he’s been touring extensively so will only have had limited time for song-writing and recording, but perhaps this should be the last release from this album – a quiet period would possibly make his fans hungry for some new product from him. I think he’s capable of maintaining the momentum he’s built, but he needs to progress now – we’ve had the honeymoon. He’s got to prove he can deliver goods of equal or greater value over a sustained time period. He needs to take some time to consider where he wants to go and how he’s going to get there and come up with some fresh material that isn’t just a rehash of what’s gone before. Otherwise he’s going to be yesterday’s man very quickly. Holly Rose
Whisky Records
This is Holly Rose’s second single from her forthcoming album - also to be called ‘Apple’. It’s perhaps not quite as exciting as her first release ‘I Don’t Care’ which had a pleasing and poppy reggae lilt to it. This is a more downbeat soul ballad but just as brilliantly executed. If this is indication of Holly’s flexibility in style and maturity in performance, then I can’t wait to hear the album – I hope I won’t be disappointed!
The Rushes
: What Are You Waiting ForUniversal Island Records
You may remember I was in two minds about the viability of The Rushes’ previous release ‘Corners’. Well, I’m happier about this one – it’s a strong song with a strong tune – you can’t ask for more than that from a young band. I re-iterate my previous remark – Arthur Lee and Love have had a lot of sub-conscious input to the production of the record but this may be no bad thing – Abraham Lincoln might have said, "You can’t be totally original all of the time." The Rushes aren’t, but there’s time a-plenty ahead in which they can develop their own distinctive style.
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