Ringo Starr. Look Up.
There is no calculation about Ringo’s return to country, no Svengali telling him it’s the ‘in’ market to crack.
Instead, these eleven songs are fuelled by his genuine love of the genre, apparent from the Beatles era onwards.
The result is an old school vibe made with contemporary talent.
Almost inevitably Ringo has pulled this off with a little help from his friends – including superb bluegrass guitarist Billy Strings and singers ranging from Alison Krauss to Molly Tuttle.
His main collaborator is guitarist, producer and composer T Bone Burnett, a sprightly youth of 76, who came up with nine of the numbers.
The strongest is Time On My Hands, a sublime tale of lost love and loneliness with Ringo lamenting: ‘I used to have a true love, everything was fine/But now she’s found a new love, she’s no longer mine.’
Mournful pedal steel guitar underlines the heartache and loss. But by the chorus, he’s moved from regret to acceptance: ‘The lesson’s been learned, I’m over her now, that bridge has been burned.’
Starr’s self-penned original, the elegant closer Thankful is another beauty, buoyed by contentment and optimism with Krauss singing harmonies.
The lyrics admit he once turned away from things that matter but found salvation through the love of a good woman – ‘I put my life into your hands, and you made me a better man…I’m changing my ways and it’s a beautiful day, here in California.’
The mood ranges from the swinging country rock of You Want Some to the yesteryear charm of Come Back, from the poppier Never Let Me Go to the trippy title track.
Ringo is relishing every moment. At 84 he remains a national treasure, still propelled by his passions for music and the ever-distant dream of peace and love.
Lambrini Girls. Who Let The Dogs Out.
Punk lives! The booze-fuelled Brighton duo’s debut album combines bass-led spikey energy with musical discord and barbed humour. Their targets include upper crust rockers (Filthy Rich Nepo Baby), workplace abuse (Company Culture), and the NYPD (Bad Apple). At times recalling X-Ray Spex and Bikini Girl, they play issue bingo with intensity and savage glee.
Various Artists. Lazy Days – British Progressive Pop Sounds of 1975.
Prog-pop peaked in the late 60s, but hit fresh heights a decade later via the likes of Roxy Music, Sparks and 10CC. This 64-track 3xCD comp also packs in rock bands (UFO, Bad Company, Hawkwind, Thin Lizzy), glam-rockers (Sweet, Slade), prog-rockers (Tull), folk rockers and pub rockers. An unusually broad definition.
Skinner. New Wave Vaudeville.
Dublin-based multi-instrumentalist Aaron Corcoran makes a stand against commercialisation. The title refers to a music-variety freak show at New York’s 57 Club, and the music is inspired by the city’s late 70s ‘No wave’ scene. Tracks like Calling In Sick mix a surging repetitive bass-line with ever-crazier vocals. It’s the sound of alienation, an antidote to soulless modern pop.