Reviews roundup – Bap Kennedy vs. Matt Schofield vs. Rosco Levee & The Southern Slide

Reviews roundup – Bap Kennedy vs. Matt Schofield vs. Rosco Levee & The Southern Slide
BAP KENNEDY
Let’s Start Again
Lonely Street 2014

I remember Bap Kennedy as being of those Celtic folky types and I never really engaged with his early work, but fast forwarding to this, his sixth solo album, and it turns out he’s been morphing into a country tinged singer / songwriter. And it’s really rather good.

Granted, it’s very melodic and laid back, and won’t be for everyone, but if you want to listen to literate, well constructed songs, performed with meticulous care, then this is a good place to be. Good songs come thick and fast from the opening ‘Let’s Start Again’ on into an array of tunes which will have you hitting the repeat button. Top of the Pops for me are ‘Revelation Blues’, ‘King of Mexico’ and ‘Radio Waves’, but you can drop the nedle just about anywhere and come up smelling of roses.

I’ve got the single disc version, but if you’ve got a few quid extra to spare, you can go for the double disc delights which, quite literally, doubles the songs on offer.

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MATT SCHOFIELD
Far As I Can See
Provogue 2014

I remember when Matt Schofield played the blues. Yes, I’m that old. These days, like many others he’s meandered over into the world of roots rock and even jazz rock, something that is continued on this latest release.

Now that’s not a band thing because Mr Schofield is a gifted enough musician to turn his hand to just about anything. And on “Far As I Can See” he does just fine.

I’ve got the promo release which comes without credits but I’m assuming that his band is Jonny Henderson on organ, Jordan John on drums and Carl Stanbridge on bass, and they really are shit hot, especially the work from Henderson over on the wing. Again, there are gems a-plenty with Albert King’s ‘Breaking Up Somebody’s Home’ an absolute standout, with the slow blues of ‘The Day You Left’ running it a close second.

He gets his jazz on on ‘Oakville Shuffle’, gets a wee bit funky on ‘Hindsight’, which comes with excellent sax work and finds a Latin groove on the Neville Brothers ‘Yellow Moon’. There are a couple of dull moments with the closing ballad, ‘Red Dragon’, a total dirge, but pound for pound this is one of his best.

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ROSCO LEVEE & The Southern Slide
Get It While You Can
Red Train 2014

The debut album from Rosco Levee & The Southern Slide, “Final Approach To Home”, was one of the nicest surprises of 2012. It was a full on swamp rock, southern rock and blues delight, made all the more remarkable when you consider that Mr Levee is a singer songwriter and guitarist from Kent. And that’s Kent, Engerland.

And I’m delighted to report that it wisnae a one off, as this one is just as good. Having been brought up on a diet of blues, country and rock ‘n’ roll by folks like Robert Johnson, Delaney Bramlett and Elvis, and bands such as The Allman Brothers, Rolling Stones and The Band, Mr Levee has channeled it into a sound that’s straight of my beloved southern rock seventies.

As before the band are steaming hot, with some added horn action in all the right places, the legally obligatory piano frills and backing vocals in place, and with songs like ‘Some Angels Fall’, ‘Gambling Man’ and ‘Whiskey Blues Goodnight’ sounding like long lost friends on first listen, it’s a pure delight..

It’s coming out in January, and I can tell you now, it’s going to be one of the best British rock albums you’ll hear all year.

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Don’t forget to tune into Mr H every Thursday at 8pm, Her Majestys Great British time, when you will find him Rockin’ The Blues on that there internet radio. http://www.getreadytorockradio.com