Sting
The Bridge
A & M
Sting has spent his last few releases wrestling with his back-catalogue, re-arranging it, repositioning it and then through that he’s emerged to write new material that sounds like echoes of his past. He’s caught in a loop of celebrating himself and the results here in particular, show a man with not much to say, but so many ways to say it. Read More
Richard Ashcroft
Acoustic Hymns Vol. 1
BMG Rights Management (UK) Ltd
I’ve never cared much for Richard Ashcroft – he was the least significant member of The Verve as far as I was concerned; and yes I know that’s absurd. But what I liked about that band – which wasn’t all that much – was anything he wasn’t doing. I never got the appeal. He seemed groggy, snotty, cantankerous and never in a good rock’n’roll way, always a bit cloying, a bit desperate. And his singing did nothing for me, nor for the songs – just a bit of gravel but absolutely no grit. Read More
Brian Wilson
At My Piano
Decca
I can just imagine so many reviews missing the point, chuckling off at the redundancy of an instrumental set of Beach Boys songs, arguing that the sun-kissed classics need those vocal harmonies to really come alive. Read More
Carter Burwell
The Morning Show: Season 2 (Apple TV+ Original Series Soundtrack)
Lakeshore Records
As it turns out I’m a pretty big fan of The Morning Show. It’s not perfect. But as smart, snackable TV it’s solid, knows its game and brings in some big themes, big moments, big performances. It’s good – but not great. Or when it’s great it wobbles. It’s never terrible. But it wouldn’t matter if I didn’t like the show, I’d still want to check out the score on its own because it’s by Carter Burwell. Read More
Tomu DJ
FEMINISTA
Side Chick Records
FEMINISTA is the debut album by Tomu DJ but there were EPs and singles ahead of this even a shelved first attempt at a debut long-player (I’m sure that’s often the case, perhaps particularly within the dance genre). Finally, though, a business card for all of the styles and moods Tomu is capable of and interested in. Read More
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band
The Legendary 1979 No Nukes Concert
Legacy
Every second week there’s a new Springsteen live album from the vaults. And I long ago got sick of his grinning, gurning clown face. The pantomime of his huge-energy shows feeling a bit like a drunk, rasping uncle hacking out his, erm, glory daze. Read More
Lindsey Buckingham
Lindsey Buckingham
Rhino
I was so excited about this album I did something I don’t normally do and couldn’t keep up with if it became the norm: I wrote a gushing “preview” basically suggesting the greatness of the album and anticipating it after just one listen, also surveying the past solo catalogue. Read More
The American Dollar
Right This Way (ep)
Yesh Music
Across the last fifteen years, Richard Cupolo (keyboards, guitar) and John Emanuele (drums, keyboards) have been making a mix of ambient and post-rock instrumentals under the name, The American Dollar. Read More
Once a month or so I have a chat on RNZ on their Afternoons show with Jesse Mulligan. I’ve been doing it for about five years now. Most months. This was my first time in for 2021.
This month I talked about two records from artists that I believe have been influenced by Nick Cave – and in a very positive way, but don’t really sound like him at all (like I say, positive influence).
First up I talked about the new Tori Amos album, Ocean to Ocean – and I played the song Swim To New York State.
After that it was to the second duets album from Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga. And I played their version of Night and Day
To hear the songs and the chat from the radio session click here.
As is always the case, you can check out more commentary about each album by checking out my written reviews of the Tori Amos here and the Gaga/Bennett album here.
To listen to previous RNZ review segments click here
https://linktr.ee/Simonsweetman
Tori Amos
Ocean To Ocean
Decca
For her first new set of songs in about four years, and her 16th studio album, Tori Amos is, as always, recognisable. This is her. She hasn’t ever really messed with the format – she makes piano-led songs, the vocals and her musical voice so distinctive. But Ocean To Ocean speaks to me more directly than anything she’s released across the last two decades. It’s also more succinct – so that helps. A short album, by Amos standards, Ocean is just 11 songs, 47 minutes, she’s often lost me as records stretch way past 55-60 minutes… Read More
Live Through This
Direction: Jonny Potts and Jean Sergent (written by Jonny Potts and Jean Sergent)
Circa Theatre; Circa Two (October 23 – November 13)
Live Through This comprises two solo shows, two separate monologue-based one-person plays. Jonny Potts writes, directs and performs The Best Show In Town Is At Your Place Every Night and after the interval Jean Sergent arrives to deliver her show, Change Your Own Life. But there’s many reasons for the two to live together through this duel/dual presentation – and not just because Kiwis prefer value for money. Read More
Various Artists:
PAURA: A Collection of Italian Horror Sounds From The CAM Sugar Archive
CAM Sugar / Distributed by Decca Records, a division of Universal
The Italian horror movie boom set the tone for many of the best moments in Hollywood’s slashers – and the music continues to inspire two generations of filmmakers; Quentin Tarantino might be the most obvious and first name you pick, but a great many directors and musical supervisors have trawled through music archives to find the right touch – and there are a lot of composers (Miles Hankins, Marco Beltrami, Trevor Gureckis, Chris Benstead, Kristian Eidnes Andersen, to name but a few) making music for modern thrillers and horrors that have been influenced by the dramatic flair and arranging nous of the many great composers and producers that helped to make Italian horror’s scariest moments so damn frightening. Read More