Reviews roundup – Cherry Lee Mewis vs. Heg & The Wolf Chorus vs. Thor

Reviews roundup – Cherry Lee Mewis vs. Heg & The Wolf Chorus vs. Thor

CHERRY LEE MEWIS
Catch My Drift
CherryJam

Hurrah!  A new album from the ever enjoyable Cherry Lee Mewis.  Following on from the enjoyable “Cherry Pickin” acoustic EP from last year, this fourth album from Ms Lewis continues in the vein of earlier releases, taking in country blues, acoustic roots and some old time rhythms.

Which means it’s good.  Cherry says “The writing on this record has evolved from my previous recordings and fans will find a flavour of something different, I haven’t changed too much but if this is the first record of mine that someone buys then it’s a great album to learn more about me too.”

I don’t hear it myself, but then I’m just a fan who enjoys the loose, rootsy feel of the music and her give it all you’ve got vocals.  To be fair, she has drifted West from the blues over the last few year, and there is more of a country flavour to her songs, which is fine by me, and makes numbers like ‘I Can’t Stand To Say Goodbye’  and ‘Stay Here With You’ absolute treats.  But folk who’ve been following her from the early days can take solace in ‘Nobody’s Fault But Mine’.

It’s a warm, welcoming release, that will become an instant friend.

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HEG & THE WOLF CHORUS
Giant EP
Lantern of Voyage Recordings

Well, this is very interesting.  It’s ostensibly folk, but it’s coming from a very twisted angle.  Named after songwriter Heg Brignall, this Bristolian outfit are doing things very differently.

The lead track is an absolute corker, a driving number with some fabulous fiddling, which makes the next tune, the ballad, ‘Fire And Snow’, seem all the more melancholy, coming straight after such a big kick in the head.  They then round things off with a remix of ‘Giant’, which is downright spooky and creepy.  Not one for a night time lullaby.

Apparently, they’ve been on the road with Moulettes, Bridie Jackson & The Arbour and Arthur Brown, and if this is the kind of thing they have up their sleeves, then we’re going to hear a lot more about them.

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THOR
Only The Strong Deluxe Edition
Cleopatra

Aiiiieee!!!! For sure, this takes me back to being a boy, and seeing the man mountain that was Thor, blowing up hot water bottles on Saturday morning kids telly. I’ve still got my picture disc of ‘Thunder On The Tundra’ filed away in a safe place.  Not that I will retire on the proceeds, especially now that this super duper enhanced CD package is out there.

To be fair, music wasn’t really their strong point, but this was their best album, and if you’re a fan of the Manowar debut, then this is somewhere you will feel very comfortable.  Because this is proto-power metal, replete with chest beating lyrics and squealing guitars.  Jon Mikl Thor was never the best singer, declaiming rather than vocalising, but his two best tunes are here, so you get the aforementioned ‘Thunder..’ as well as fellow single ‘Let The Blood Run Red’ (“let them all be dead” – and where is my blood red 7″ version?).

The package itself outdoes many major releases.  A double digipack, with a welter of bonus tracks and a DVD.  So you’re getting the “The Edge of Hell EP”, from when he called himself Tritonz. A fistful of demo tracks from the early eighties, and two live tunes.

But the DVD is much more fun.  Granted, the sound quality on some of the material is utter pants, but if you want to see steel bars being bent and the showstopping hot water bottle, this is the place to be.  Pure fun, which made me feel like a young ‘un.

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