Grooves...

So much music out there these days....

April - May  2012


Mekanik Destriktiw Kommando - Magma  [ awesome !!!!!!]
Best of Moby Grape - Moby Grape
Encore - Tangerine Dream
The Gospel according to the men in black - The Stranglers
Blunderbuss - Jack White
All Saints - David Bowie Instrumentals


March 2012


Contraband- Otis Taylor
Complete- Big Maceo Merriweather
Futurist Manifesto- Be Bop Deluxe  [ All albums...back to my root and wonderful ]
Masters of the Ragtime Guitar- Duck Baker, Ton van Bergeyk etc  [ Brilliant and very enjoyable ]
Shakuhachi Music : A bell ringing in the empty sky- Gojo Yamaguchi [ Contemplative Japanese flute music ]
The English Riviera  - Metronomy
South of I-10- Sonny Landreth [ I've always enjoyed Sonny Landreth's contributions to various rock/blues groups and wondered what he sounded like on his own. His guitar (slide, especially ) is the key element and it is very good, but , for my taste, this veers too often to countrified rock, with hints of commercialised Cajun, and far too little bluesy stylings. Pleasant enough, but too close to AOR most of the time, for my liking ]
Home Again- Michael Kiwanuka
The Poison Glen- Altan   [ Competent, but little passion. Great technique, but not that exciting]

February 2012


I speak because I can- Laura Marling
Ragged Kingdom- June Tabor and the Oyster Band [ A second mention...its really good !] 

Heavy Sugar - A New Orleans R'n'B Collections ( that's from the 50s and 60s : real R'n'B  ! )

January 2012

Michael Kiwanuka    Hat tip for 2012...Old-style soul with a modern feeling
Luck in the Valley - Jack Rose

December 2011

Complete Imperial Recording- T-Bone Walker [10/10 - Texas Blues from the 1940s to 50s]
Stateless- Mathilda [7/10 - ]
Ragged Kingdom- June Tabor and the Oyster Band [10/10 - Modern interpretations of Folk and contemporary songs. Love will tear us apart never sounded so mournful]
The Geese and the Ghost- Anthony Phillips [6/10 - Old and Ex Genesis. OK, but not stunning]
Swansongs- Chocolate Genius Incorporated [6/10 - not as good as his performance on You tube ]
Bottleneck Slide Guitar - Sam Mitchell  [ 8/10  What it says on the tin. Brilliant ]
Desire - Bob Dylan   [ 10/10  Among his best]

November 2011

Empire and Love- Imagined Village [8/10 - Re-invented English folk for the 21st Century]
Blues from the Gutter/Natural and Souful Blues- Champion Jack Dupree [10/10 - Wonderful music ]
Unfashionably Late - Linda Thompson
The Harrow and the Harvest -  Gillian Welch [8/10]
You can't teach an old dog new tricks - Seasick Steve [8/10 - It's true...catch him live ]

June - October 2011

Swansongs- Chocolate Genius Inc
Grace and Passion- Martin Simpson

May 2011

Shattered dreams: Funky Blues 1967 - 1972- Various
The Book of the Dead - Mick Harvey
Together - Talvin Singh and Niladri Kumar

November - March 2011


Lost - The Unthanks
Ashore - June Tabor
Mission Bell- Amos Lee
Smoke Ring for my Halo - Kurt Vile
Sweet Inspirations -  Various Artists ( songs by Spooner and Oldham )
My Goals Beyond - John McLaughlin
Pancha Nadai Pallavi  - Shankar
Jungle Blues - C W Stoneking 

October 2010
Metallic Spheres- The Orb ( with Dave Gilmour )
Band of Joy - Robert Plant
Santiago - The Chieftans
Too long in this condition- Alasdair Roberts ( plus friends :)

September 2010
Croweology- The Black Crows
Dream Attic - Richard Thompson

August 2010
Hergest Ridge - Mike Oldfield
Ommadawn - Mike Oldfield
To scratch your heart - Early recordings from Istanbul
Phaedra - Tangerine Dream
Best of - Grin  [ Nils Lofgren pre-solo, but some great songs. I loved Lofgren in the 70's. Superb, straightforward rock. Sadly many of his 70's albums are no longer available, especially the top notch Night after Night his exceptional live recording. Springsteen is lucky to have him in his band ! ]

July 2010 
Fish Rising - Steve Hillage
Half Smile - Hank Dogs

June 2010 
Counter Culture - Roy Harper
Complete - Patrik Fitzgerald

May 2010 
Sea of Cowards - The Deadweather
The King Sessions - Ivory Joe Hunter
Signs of Life - Martin Carthy
Motivation Radio - Steve Hillage
Seasick Steve - Started out with Nothing, and got most of it left

April 2010 
Jellybread - Complete Blue Horizon Sessions ( Brilliant late Sixties Blues Soul, with Pete Wingfield ! )
Davey Graham - The Guitar Player
The Hot Rats - Turn on
The Besnard Lakes.....are the Roaring Night
Steven Lindsay- Exit Music
Jody Williams - Return of a Legend

March 2010 
Roy Hawkins - The Thrill is Gone
Amos Milburn - Booze, Babes, Blues and Boogie
Field Music -
Joss Stone - Colour me Free
Jimi Hendrix - Valleys of Neptune

February 2010 
Hope Sandoval and the Warm Inventions - Bavarian Fruit Bread
Frank Zappa -Sheik Yerbouti