Two things strike you as you look at this album – the design has a beautiful charm about it, very striking and suitable for the theme AND it would be hard to pick a more hackneyed choice of songs for inclusion. However context is everything, any reviewer has to ask 1/ what is attempted and 2/ how successful is the project.
Produced by the late Tom Petty, no less, this collection finds the Byrd and Burritos etc star looking backwards, forwards and sideways. Hillman is an established musician and singer of supreme quality.
The first part of this (shared) release is performed by Karma To Burn..I think, there is I believe a 28 Page Booklet that I don’t have. The acts may be one and the same for all I know. The other one is Sons Of Alpha Centauri.
Described as a ‘Canadian alt/blues-rock duo’, this act played some UK dates a few weeks ago before moving to Europe to perform there. I had the advantage of catching them with friends – notwithstanding local directional ‘advice’ - in an obscure village hostelry down a very long dark lane as they fitted in an extra show in deepest Sussex. They had no trouble charming the crowd.
This release really has an interesting list of participants – Joss Stone, Nitin Sawhney, Jonathan Joseph, Etienne M’Bappe, Jonathan Shorten. I really liked a previous gathering including Mick Jagger and Dave Stewart and called SuperHeavy but how does this fare ?
Is Boo Hewerdine of The Bible fame likely to be involved as Executive Producer on a duff project? Is a recording also produced and mixed by Chris Pepper likely to be more than listenable? The answers are definitely No and Yes, respectively….hence Lawrence O’Shea has chosen well as regards cohorts for this album. Originally a one-man project, this is now a band itching to perform, I understand.
