Reviews roundup – The Sours vs. Jim Stapley vs. Kenny Wayne Shepherd vs. The Pass Outs

Reviews roundup – The Sours vs. Jim Stapley vs. Kenny Wayne Shepherd vs. The Pass Outs

THE SOURS
same
Zoze Music

Well this is something a wee bit different via planet MoonJune.  If you’re looking for an easy marker, think Joni Mitchell in her “jazz” phase, fronting a lo-fi REM.  But with better tunes.

This project is basically the baby of singer / songwriter Sarah Schrift, who has brought along producer and guitarist Sasha Markovic and pianist Kana Kamitsubo (on two tracks) to flesh out some interesting songs.  And interesting is definitely the correct word, because even if you hate them, you can’t deny they’re a bit different.  It’s the kind of thing that will get Mojo magazine a bit moist around the edges as they reminisce about the pre-hit Talking Heads, and how things were much better when they were lads.

Vocalist Sarah Schrift has a very listenable voice, and the arrangements and backing are top drawer stuff.  So when the songs mark the setting, then it’s very enjoyable indeed, ason ‘everwas’ and ‘seawitch’, even if the casual attitude to capitalisation is a very bad thing.

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JIM STAPLEY
Long Time Coming
Mita

Jim Stapley has been beavering away for ages now, both on the club circuit, and as a go to singer for folks well past their sell by date,hence the appropriate album title.  Which means he’s gigged with the likes of Ronnie Wood from The Rolling Stones and Kenny Jones (The Faces / The Who).

And that’s the kind of thing that probably got Tony Visconti involved as producer of this debut album.  Now even though this is, at heart, a seventies roots kind of thing, I’m delighted that an entire kitchen sink has been thrown at it. Something sadly lacking nowadays.  So as well as a basic band of CJ Evans (drums), Tom Swann (bass), and guitarists Ricky Glover and Johnson-Jay Mewik-Daley, Tony Visconti adds string arrangements, keyboards come from Josh Phillips and James Arben provides tenor and bass sax.  But.  Yes, I said but. There is still room for a string quartet of Rachel Dawson, Sarah Tuke, Polly Wiltshire and Catriona Parker plus (Plus!) Mollie Marriott, Rachel Leavesley and Jessica Morgan on backing vocals. It’s like the last forty years were a bad dream.

And musically, it’s a bit of a doozy, with a cracker of an opener in the shape of ‘No Good Reason’, which could be a lost Bad Company tune, a killer ballad in the shape of ‘Hurricane’, some roots rock on ‘My Way Home’ and another excellent ballad in ‘My Own Worst Enemy’.  For sure, things tail off slightly over the last couple of songs, but then all albums are too long nowadays.

Stapley is a magnificent singer, and he must really regret being born out time.  But those of a certain vintage will lap this up, assuming they ever manage to hear it, because I can find no trace of this album anywere.  However, you can download the single ‘Heartstrings / Laid to Waste’ at Amazon.

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KENNY WAYNE SHEPHERD
Goin’ Home
Mascot

Well after last years adventures with The Rides, young master Shepherd has gone home to his roots (natch) for his latest album.  And in a spook alert, there is a tenuous Kenney Jones link here as well.  Because the KWS band features Tony Franklin on bass, who played in the Paul Rodgers / Jimmy Page less-than-supergroup The Firm, prior to Rodgers forming The Law with Kenney Jones.  Two bands that are great for pub quizzes with their Free / Bad Company / Led Zeppelin / Roy Harper / AC/DC / Uriah Heep / Blue Murder / David Gilmour / Kate Bush / Whitesnake connections.

Anyway back here, long term vocalist Noah Hunt is joined by the aforementioned Frankling, former SRV DOuble Trouble drummer Chris Layton and Riley Osbourn on keyboards, along with guests Ringo Starr, Joe Walsh, Warren Haynes, Keb’ Mo’, Robert Randolph, Kim Wilson and the Rebirth Brass Band on an enjoyable romp through some of his favourite blues tunes.

So there are run throughs of songs from B.B. King, Albert King, Bo Diddley, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Johnny “Guitar” Watson, Lee Dorsey and more, with some real highlights in the shape of Albert King’s ‘Born Under A Bad Sign’ with Keb’ Mo’ and the Warren Haynes assisted ‘Breaking Up Somebody’s Home’.  To be sure, he’s not breaking any moulds, but when things are as good as his version of Magic Sam’s ‘Everything Gonna Be Alright’, then frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn.

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THE PASS OUTS
Dead Technology
self released

It’s not difficult to get my attention with a cover like that.  After all, I’m pre Spinal Tap, so don’t have to worry too much about the modern world. In fact, the artwork on this self released album is never less than amazing.

The band themselves hail from the mythical kingdom of Australia, which may explain why they still think that grunge is a “thing”.  Of course, it isn’t.  It’s evil was defeated with a single shotgun blast, and even though music never really recovered, grunge itself vanished into a world where the memory was used to scare small children who were showing signs of becoming melancholy.

To be fair, they do escape into the real world sometimes, and the lead track ‘Show Me What It’s Like’ is a proper, seventies, classic rock tune that just rawks.  The middle of the album was a bit of a slog, though, as the band seem determined to prove that Pearl Jam is something worth emulating, instead of annihilating.  A shame, considering they’re bloody good musicians.

On the plus side, they’ve released this on vinyl, as well as CD, and that full size album will look am-az-ing, and make you the envy of your friends.  I’ve now idea how you buy it, but you can always ask them on the Great Satan Facebook, here.
https://www.facebook.com/thepassouts