Reviews roundup – Marcus Corbett vs. JT Lauritsen vs. Leslie West

Reviews roundup – Marcus Corbett vs. JT Lauritsen vs. Leslie West

MARCUS CORBETT
Strung Deep
self released

Well, this is an interesting one. If I wasn’t poor, dumb, white trash, I might even understand it. Perhaps, if I’d been on a gap year to Goa, rather than doing hard, manual labour, I would be able to absorb the vibe. But I am, and I didn’t.

What I can tell you is that world musician Marcus Corbett travelled from England to Pune in India, studying Indian classical music and crossing it over with his own Western, folky influences (JOhn Martyn / Nick Drake) to create a harmonic palate for his own music. There are only four tracks on this thirty minute album, and two of those last over ten minutes apiece, so it’s the shorter ones that appeal to my wham bam thank you mam nature.

However, there is no doubting the musical prowess on offer from Mr Corbett, along with the likes of Milind Date (Indian flute) and violinist Sanjay Upadhye. At times, the nature of the music tips over into a mix of world, prog and jazz, and even if the longer numbers outstay their welcome, what is here will keep many a vegetarian and / or Shakti fan happy for quite some time.

http://marcuscorbett.bandcamp.com/album/strung-deep

JT LAURITSEN
Play By The Rules
Hunters

Hello! Now this is a good one. Working on the edge between blues and soul, Mr Lauritsen has come up with a bit of a gem. Right from the off where he takes on William Bell’s ‘Everyday Will Be Like A Holiday’, straight through to the closing ‘The Blues Got Me’, this is just downright good.

For his seventh album, he abandoned Norway to record half the album in Memphis with guests such as Anson Funderburgh, Victor Wainwright, Teresa James, Reba Russell, Larry McCray and Billy Gibson. The other half was done at home with his regular band, but it’s hard to see the join.

The best of the originals is probably ”Next Time’, with its New Orleans vibe, and he turns in a cracking cover of Big Walter’s ‘Need My Babe’, with some great harmonica work and some mean Chicago blues. But you’d be hard pushed to find a bum note on a cracking album.

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LESLIE WEST
Still Climbing
Provogue

This time around we’ll finish up with the big one. Hah! Except you can’t really do fat jokes around Leslie West anymore. Not since they chopped his leg off. Because that would just be wrong. So instead we’ll just concentrate on the follow up to “Unusual Suspects”, his excellent 2011 release.

And it’s more of the same. Which is a good thing. He’s got some special guest in tow – Johnny Winter, Mark Tremonti
(Creed & Alter Bridge), Jonny Lang and Dee Snider (Twisted Sister) – but they are there to support him, not overpower him. Although that wouldn’t be easy, when West is in full flow.

The opening two tracks would be worth the price of admission alone. ‘Dyin’ Since The Day I Was Born’ (with Tremonti) and ‘Busted, Disgusted or Dead’ where he trades guitar lines with Johnny Winter are as good as anything he’s recorded in his 40 plus year career. And that’s before you get to his cover of ‘Feelin’ Good’ with Dee Snider or his re-recording of ‘Long Red’ from his 1969 debut album. Although whether that will get the kiddy winks on board is another matter, even if Lana Del Rey did sample it for her huge hit, ‘Born To Die’.

He’s 68 now, but unlike some who go through the motions, this is a more than worthy addition to his catalogue.

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