Anna Tivel – Royal Blue

This is a recent live performance of a track from Anna’s 2022 album ‘Outsiders’. This outstanding Oregan based songwriter first came to my attention about six years ago with a song that already, to my ears, sounds like a seasoned classic called ‘Illinois’. As can be seen and heard in this clip, she has maintained a high standard of music making and continues to illuminate with her tight three piece live set up, who somehow make a big noise out of very hushed dynamics. Music that doesn’t instantly beat you over the head and demand a listen can sometimes fly by unnoticed, but the magic of Anna Tivel is that she tightens her grip on your attention whilst retaining a lightness of touch, a wonderful writer indeed…

Lee Fields – Waiting On The Sidelines

Another beautiful vintage style soul ballad from Lee Fields. Now aged 72, he has been as much of a late blooming star as the sadly departed Tina Turner, whose news coverage following the announcement of her death focused extensively on how her commercially successful years only occurred when she was in her forties and free of that controlling relationship with Ike. Lee has been in the engine room of the music world for decades, working with the likes of Kool and the Gang, Hip Huggers, O.V. Wright, Darrell Banks and Little Royal but it is the 21st century releases on the Daptone label as the headline act that have really seen him establish himself in the pantheon of soul greats and justifiably so. This new track is available as a 45 on the Daptone label…

April March & Staplin – Les Fleurs Invisibles

April March has been something of a free spirit in her career. Perhaps best known for her re-working of the Serge Gainsbourg ‘Laisse Tomber Les Filles’ into the rollicking ‘Chick Habit’ on the 1995 album ‘Gainsbourgsion!’, she has also worked as an illustrator and animator whilst eclectically applying chanson, sixties girl-pop, chamber-pop and glorious French/English retro vibes to her musical output. This song is from her latest album which sees her collaborating with the French duo Staplin who push April into an area of alternative, modern French pop that she has not explored before and the results are predictably sublime…

Nick Waterhouse – Late In The Garden

Nick’s latest album ‘The Fooler’ is available now on Pres Records and it’s a high end piece of gritty, modern Americana dragging us through the dark ends of a US city street to feel all the ghosts in the air and the spirits who have walked those byways before. This is easily one of the essential LP releases of the year so far, I especially love on this particular track how Nick wears his Velvet Underground influence loud and proud. This one absolutely struts a waiting for the man style with conviction, so much so that Nick even offers a “walk it home” aside towards the tracks end…

The Murlocs – Queen Pinky

The Murlocs are from Melbourne, Australia and their core members are Ambrose Kenny-Smith (who formed the band in 2011) on vocals and harmonica, Cal Shortal on guitar, Cook Craig on bass guitar, Tim Karmouche on keyboards and Matt Blach on drums. Their members are also involved with other bands, most notably King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard, so it will not surprise you to read that they catch the ear of the garage rock, fuzztone crowd with their sound. This latest track is from their new album ‘Calm Ya Farm’ released on ATO and on this one in particular, their soulful R&B inclinations are watered to stunning effect, especially on that lead vocal which packs a real punch…

Walter Smith III – Shine

I close this weeks half dozen picks with a turn to the dependable Blue Note Records label and a new album release called ‘Return To Casual’ by Walter Smith III. Walter is a tenor saxophonist who has been releasing his own albums as band leader for nearly twenty years but also has a mouth watering discography in collaboration and backing with an arsenal of names in the modern US jazz scene (far too many to list here). His is a fluent playing style but the intensity, as witnessed here in this brand new filmed segment which also features some red-hot piano textures from Taylor Eigsti, is gripping and sometimes that is all you need, players playing it like they mean it, get on this right now people…