To paraphrase, in his 100th birthyear, perhaps the greatest singer of all time, Frank Sinatra, «It poured sweet and clear, it was a very good year».

It was indeed. As you can gather from my previous post, it is hard to choose between a number of brilliant, some future classic albums, but I have made an attempt.

To save you the trouble of listening to each album one by one, here is a link to the Spotify list of all 10 albums:

And here are the details:

10. CHRIS CONNOLLY:ALAMEDA

I had mixed feelings about this album when I started listening to it; now it is among the 10 best albums of the year for me. Moral: Keep playing and keep listening.

Chris Connolly is  Sun Kil Moon’s pianist. Rock music is by definition repetitive, and Connoly brings the revolving themes into his piano pieces. I find it mostly comforting and heartbreakingly beautiful, an album for relaxation and contemplation.

9. KATZENJAMMER: ROCKLAND

I have waited for the definitive album from this all-female Norwegian group, and I hope and expect this is it, because Katzenjammer deserves an even larger following than they have today, with their foot stomping folkmusicy (I have to patent this word) and happy music. If you ever looked for the perfect bridge between folk and pop, look and listen no further. Here it is.

 

8. RAYLAND BAXTER: IMAGINARY MAN

One of the biggest musical surprises of the year  is Rayland Baxter and his second album Imaginary Man. His voice is so out-of-the-ordinary, touching and occasionally even intimidating , but never unexciting. Every time a track starts he grabs my attention even if have drifted away for a minute. The songwriting is equally good, songs that sticks with me. There is humour and grief perfectly mixed together on this amazing album.

7.  CHRIS CORNELL:  HIGHER TRUTH

Chris Cornell is better knows as the lead singer of Soundgarden. There is no doubt he has got a powerful voice, and he enjoys using it with full force. I still like him better when he tones it down a bit, and on Higher Truth you get a bit of both. It is a brilliant collection of songs.

6. DAVID GILMOUR: RATTLE THAT LOCK

David Gilmour has gone into the studio alone and recorded a considerably better album than Pink Floyd’s 2015 release The Endless River. Rattle That Lock is as accessible as Pink Floyd at their best, great pop songs with strong melodies, some of these reminiscent of tracks from a musical. His solo guitar trademark is printed all over the album, and his vocals are mixed all the way to the front, successful producer moves, both of them.

5. KATHRYN WILLIAMS: HYPOXIA

I am so excited about Kathryn Williams’ tribute to Sylvia Plath, the concept album Hypoxia, even though I lack most of the references. The songs are dark, but eerily beautiful and one can sense the deep emotions behind them, particularly in “Tango with Marco”. Kathryn Williams has been around since the 1990s, as a folk singer, and Hypoxia is her 11^th album.

4. WHITEHORSE: LEAVE NO BRIDGE BEHIND

Whitehorse and their album Leave No Bridge Unburned. came as a complete surprise to me. As I listened to it for the first time, I was completely taken aback by the quality and the smartness of the song writing. There is a freshness and cheekiness to the music that is quite rare these days.   This is Whitehorse’s second album, so hopefully we have years of wonderful music to look forward to.

3.  DAMIEN RICE:  MY FAVOURITE FADED FANTASY

I have never been thrilled by Damien Rice’s whispering, ultra-thin falsetto voice before. Then My Favourite Faded Fantasy comes along, and I am completely taken aback. I know I have used the word classic a lot,  but I have to use it again. Yes, the voice is still there, but it is put to use in a collection of songs that never stop growing on me. Many of the tracks start small and grow into wonderful landscapes of sound. It is hard to label the music, we used to say Damien Rice was a folk singer, but I don’t think so, not any more. This is the music of conviction.

2. KACEY MUSGRAVES: PAGEANT MATERIAL

It has been a fight the last few weeks, my heart says number one, my conscious mind says number two.  Followers of my blog have come to learn of my growing infatuation with some country music, and one of my absolute favourites is Kacey Musgraves. Her lyrics are personal, funny, bittersweet and self-deprecating, inviting me as a listener in to what feels like a private world. The majority of the songs on Pageant Material  are lovable, some nothing but brilliiant. It is impossible to sulk when listening to the album. I dare you to try it.

1. FATHER JOHN MISTY: I LOVE YOU HONEYBEAR

Not many albums permeate the mundane and bring us to music that may last longer than we do, the mark of true classics. I first heard Father John Misty’s voice as part of Fleet Foxes, the wonderful post-Beach Boys band that was the talk of the music industry four-five years back. I added his first solo album to the list, but it is with I Love You, Honeybear, that Father John Misty emerges as a truly great and perhaps lasting pop artist. Of course his name isn’t John Misty at all, but Josh Tillman. His lyrics come with a warning, not that I would think many would take harm from listening to his stories of doubt, sexual urges, of falling in love and of sticking to relationships. It is not necessary, however, to glue your ears to the speakers to grasp every word; the songs are small symphonies with a great value even without the lyrics.

I wish all my blog readers a happy yuletide and a wonderful, rewarding new year. I will be back in 2016 with more fantastic music you probably would have missed.  And remember, my blog list is always updated and available. Click my picture, and beautiful music will surround you.

Warmes wishes,

Petter

I hear you: If these 15 fabulous albums are runners-up, how good can Top 10 in ’15 be? You’ll find out very soon. In the meantime, enjoy some of the very best music – in random order – this great music year has had to offer. Click on the cover, and I will take you directly to the album on Spotify (Yes, I’m impressed with me, too). I have also added excerpts of my previous reviews.

Blood is a great and musically wide-ranging album, introducing us to both soul and sophisticated pop. She worked for a while with Prince, and his influence can definitely be heard, particularly in the daring arrangements and self-confident use of her pleasing voice.

…Souther doesn’t even try to make music that sounds remotely modern, but for all of us missing Don Henley, Harry Nilsson and other 70s crooners find some consolation in JDs sweet, tender pop music. I have fallen in love with this album and will turn to it every time life runs off with me, reminding me of the wonderful first decades of my adult life.

Mimmi Tamba from the northern town of Tromsø.. started out as a soul artist, but when her first full album was released, Storm, reviewers and audience alike were pleasantly surprised to find that Tamba could do so much more. Storm is difficult to pigeonhole, more pop than soul, that’s for sure. …Mimmi Tamba is an artist with a rich talent, yet to be fully blooming.

This pop album offers much more than pop (and the pop is exquisitely good), ending with a full piano concerto reminiscent of George Gershwin’s rhapsodies, that Folds performs himself together with the Nashville Symphony. It isn’t as good as Gershwin, but what is? I love this album…,

 Simi Stone has got a perky voice that can liven a funeral, and even though this is her first and is made in 2015, no doubt she knows her soul history.

..Buffy Sainte-Marie returns with a surprisingly good album in her 74^th year, Power in the Blood. It is ironic that a 74-year old is the artist with the most power in her voice, in her arrangements, and not the least in her convictions, in my list right now. She has had ample time for practise; her first record came in 1963, 53 years ago, and she hasn’t lost the touch.

If I believed in reincarnation, which I certainly don’t, I would have suspected Roy Orbison was involved in putting Richard Hawley together. The same baritone voice, the same pain as well as soothing in the voice, but Hawley is still his own man. His songwriting and his guitar skills add to his genius.

this album is nothing but brilliant. Introvert, vulnerable and touching, Saint Saviour’s voice embraces the listener, and the songs are little gems that stick in your mind. The Manchester Camerata Orchestra accompanies her on all tracks, creating a timeless atmosphere.

Brian Wilson keeps the surf beat going, repeating himself just enough to keep us hanging on and without tiring us out. THE ALBUM is bursting with sunshine and happiness. Some of the songs brings me back to less troubled days, to a quiet place in my soul. What more can I ask for in music? Bless you, Brian Wilson, may you live and compose and perform forever.

Canadian Tobias Jesso Jr. knows how to churn out McCartney-esque songs. He was discovered by Adele, who tweeted about him.  There is a lot of looking back on Goon, I hear Lennon, Billy Joel, and many other similar men in awe of women and love. Jesso’s craftsmanship is undisputed, and I dare predict this is not the last album from him.

A.. strange band is Club de Belugas, with their jazzy dance tracks and swinging ear drum teasers. The German band ..has a loyal following of fans – and of vocalists. Some of the greatest are represented on their new album, Fishing for Zebras, my personal favourite being Veronika Harcsa, with one of the most distinguished and arousing voices around.

Sharon Robinson has been Leonard Cohen’s backing singer, arranger and collaborator for decades, and co-wrote some of his songs, like Everybody Knows. She has just released her second album, and some of the tracks on Caffeine are just exquisite, so when you have played Cohen’s songs to death, put Sharon on instead. You blood pressure will stay down.

English folk singer Darren Hayman discovered an old pamphlet from the 1880s with lyrics for songs to be sung by socialists. In only two cases did the writer, William Morris, specify a tune, so Darren made up the rest.  even if you’re not a socialist yourself (I’m not), you might be moved by both the poignant, historical lyrics, but also of Hayman’s great new tunes and harmonies.

Few singers can produce the voice as a rhythm instrument better than Gardot. She seems to be experimenting more both with lyrics and melody (excuse the pun) on this album than ever before, and I tag along for the ride.  Currency of Man grows and grows every time I listen to it.

In 2013, I dictatorially voted Sarah Blasko’s I Awake as Album of the Year. The brilliant Australian singer is back with a new album, Eternal Return…There isn’t much happiness in Blasko’s music, but the intensity and sincerity in her voice makes up for it a hundredfold. Eternal Return also reveals new levels every time I listen.

I will soon be back with Top 10 2015, for the first time in the history of my blog, a male singer at number 1…..

 

The cleverer of you instantly recognize the line, and this week The Zombies repeats it in a new song, Maybe Tomorrow, singing: “You should forget about today, just like The Beatles used to say: I believe in Yesterday.” In the times we are living in, it might be what we all would prefer, trying to avoid meeting pure evil and stupefied fundamentalism face to face. But I guess truth lies in a mix of the best of today and the most valuable from yesterday, both in terms of our daily lives and in music. That´s what many of  this week´s artists have in common, at least.

Since I have already revealed that The Zombies has released a new album, let’s start with Still Got That Hunger. There is no reason to be sceptical to 60s and 70s bands resurrecting, and this mostly wonderful album proves the point. The Zombies might be the most underrated of the 60s bands, but to me they are up there with The Kinks, The Beach Boys and perhaps even The Beatles at times. There’s a bit of jazz in the The Zombies as well, mostly thanks to brilliant pianist Rod Argent and Colin Bluntstone’s positive and happy voice. On “I want you Back”, the piano playing is particularly impressive, reminding me of David Bowie’s flirtation with the jazz piano on Alladin Sane, perhaps the greatest fusion of pop and jazz ever recorded, thanks to pianist Mark Garson.

Tom Jones’ new album Long Lost Suitcase, doesn’t thrill me as much, not because it isn’t good, but Mr Jones goes back to stripped down bluegrass and American traditional folk, and I can’t take big doses of this, even though I recognize that Tom Jones does this exceptionally well. I have left five songs in the list, including a duet with Irish favourite Imelda May.

I can’t take enormous doses of Judy Collins either, the music is mostly a bit too polished for my taste. But as with Tom Jones I recognize a master singer when I hear one, and Judy Collins means what she sings. On her new album, Strangers Again, she performs duets with among others Michael McDonald, Jeff Bridges and Thomas Dybdahl, and I have added tracks that will bring you joy, I am sure. And if you need more, listen to the whole album.

Judy Collins is born in Seattle, Washington, and so is next artist, Chris Cornell, better knows as the lead singer of Soundgarden. There is no doubt he has got a powerful voice, and he enjoys using it with full force. I still like him better when he tones it down a bit, and on Higher Truth you get a bit of both. It is a brilliant collection of songs, and I had a hard time choosing what to serve you, and ended up seven great and powerful songs, rocking up your Christmas listening.

Another powerful voice is that of Germany’s Jesper Munk, the blues singer from Munich. On some of the tracks on CLAIM, he pushes his voice too far and the arrangements get too avant-garde for my taste, but on others, particularly the five tracks I have added to the list, he creates brilliant, sweaty and sultry songs, making you feet tap helplessly and forcing involuntary air guitar scenes in the bathroom.

Melody Gardot is back with a new album, Currency of Man, and she knows a little about rhythm, too. Few singers can produce the voice as a rhythm instrument better than Gardot. She seems to be experimenting more both with lyrics and melody (excuse the pun) on this album than ever before, and I tag along for the ride. Of all albums I introduce on this week’s list, Currency of Man, grows and grows every time I listen to it, more than any of the others.

Pop star Sarah Bareilles has moved on to trying out as musical theatre composer, like many other pop artists like Elton John, Paul Simon and The Who before her. She has written the music to Waitress, based on the film from 2007, and I find the result successful, with songs stuck between traditional Bareilles pop and traditional musical tunes. The Broadway premiere is in 2016, and judging from the album What’s Inside: Songs from Waitress, there might be enough ingredients for a success here.

In 2013, I dictatorially voted Sarah Blasko’s I Awake as Album of the Year. The brilliant Australian singer is back with a new album, Eternal Return, and although it isn’t as innovative as her previous album, I remain a big fan. There isn’t much happiness in Blasko’s music, but the intensity and sincerity in her voice makes up for it a hundredfold. Like Gardot’s new album, Eternal Return, also reveals new levels every time I listen.

Ingebjørg Bratland built quite a reputation as a traditional folk singer in Norway, with a voice that could melt snow. Still it took many years before she managed to fuse her traditional singing technique with that of modern folk and pop vocals. Now this fusion has brought her new fame, and on her new album, Månesinn (a pun on the word moonshine and “moon mind”) she performs superbly crafted self-composed songs, while keeping to the singing technique that made her famous in the first place. I have also added her equally brilliant rendition of Bob Dylan’s Make You Feel My Love, in Norwegian.

Danni Nicholls is something as rare as an English country singer. Born in Bedford, England, she still performs modern country better than many Nashville stars. On Mockingbird Lane, many of the tracks are well crafted, but are quite traditional country songs. But what makes the album stand out is still the richer, more elaborate songs, also found among the American-inspired; perhaps it is her English pop and jazz upbringing that shines through. Five great English country songs are added to the list.

Dutch singer Kovacs’ album Shades of Black is also impressive. She sounds a bit like a mixture of Amy Winehouse, Shirley Bassey and Lena who won ESC for Germany (and with her quirky English pronunciation as well). With rich orchestrations and sultry rhythms I am being enticed by song after song, into a quite dark musical universe, reminiscent of old James Bond movies.

Sondre Justad’s fame started when he performed Sam Smith’s Stay with Me, with his own translated lyrics,  live on Norwegian radio. His debut album has been highly anticipated, and his contemporary happy-pop on Riv i hjertet (Tear at my heart) has extended his success, following great reviews and  topping the charts in his home country. Singing about being an insecure young man has never been wrong. Sondre is from Norway’s major archipelago Lofoten.

I am closing today’s blog with a man who is truly going back to yesterday, perhaps a yesterday that has gone a bit out of fashion, the Disco. The King of Disco, at least chief architect of Disco, was Italian Giorgio Moroder, now in his seventies. He has released a new album with the help of many younger friends, among others Sia and Kylie Minogue, aptly named Déjà vu. Most of the tracks on the album are in my ears truly dated, and modern production techniques don’t make up for it. Still, I can’t help being drawn into the Yesterday of some of the tracks, really enjoying being sent back to my youth.

This was the last addition to the blog list in 2015. As I have done since 2013, I will publish a special list of Top 10 albums of the year, but I need to get closer to Christmas before I can start putting it together. In the mean time, enjoy 4 ½ hours of new music! Put it on shuffle and get proof that good music is still being made.

To make room we say goodbye to Mørland & Debrah Scarlett, Chungking, Shelby Lynne, James Horner with Mari and Håkon Samuelsen, Whitehorse, Aminata, John Karayiannis, Loic Nottet, Angelique Kidjo, JD Souther, My Morning Jacket, Kyle Eastwood and Guy Sebastian.

..said Winston Churchill, in fact this is what he actually said: ”Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never, never–in nothing, great or small, large or petty–never give in, except to convictions of honour and good sense.” Some of this month’s artists subscribe to his still profound words, consciously or unconsciously. They have stuck with their art, in the face of adversity, if common sense, if not good sense, told them it was time to quit and leave the stage to someone else. Those “someone elses” are also represented in today’s list. Let’s start with perhaps the least fortunate of this month’s artists, Nerina Pallot.

Her debut album was pulled before it was released, she lost her recording contract after an episode on a children’s show where she was accidentally pushed off a couch and became the butt of a number of jokes. Although reviewers have mostly loved her, the audience hasn’t exactly embraced her. On her new album, The Sound and the Fury she turns protest singer three decades after it was fashionable, but hopefully time will prove her right. It might just be fashionable to sing about more profound things than falling in love.

Not that there is something wrong with falling in love, far from it. Lauren Housley proves the point. Her new album, Sweet Surrender, offers a number of nice love songs, charmingly performed in her edgy country style with an equally edgy voice. Housley has been compared to Joss Stone, Eva Cassidy and Amy Winehouse, quite unfair for all four, if you ask me. Her songs may not be distinct enough to be in that elite category, but I enjoyed the album and have shared five songs with you.

Staying in the romantic corner for a while, let’s listen to duelling guitars from virtuosos James Elkington and Nathan Salsburg, born on different sides of the Atlantic but definitely coming together on the beautiful album Ambsace, their second to date. The album is filled with both old and new songs, with both Duke Ellington and The Smiths represented.

Diane Coffee takes me back to the airy pop of the sixtees, bringing back images and sounds from the Sgt. Pepper era. Coffee is a side project for Shaun Fleming of Foxygen. Fleming has also lent his voice to a number of Disney characters, so that should explain why he sounds as much as a girl. Everybody’s a Good Dog offers bubblegummy pop, but done with style and sophistication and with the upmost respect for the artists who inspired him.

Moving up a few decades to the eighties and to Darwin Deez, reminding me of old favourites Stephen Bishop and Squeeze (see below). This is naughty and unpredictable pop music, ditching chorus and verse when he feels like it, bringing in strange beats, riffs and entertaining lyrics to make it even greater to listen to Double Down.

Unpredictable is a good description of our next artist, Ben Folds, the North Carolinian who last month released So There. This pop album offers much more than pop (and the pop is exquisitely good), ending with a full piano concerto reminiscent of George Gershwin’s rhapsodies, that Folds performs himself together with the Nashville Symphony. It isn’t as good as Gershwin, but what is? I love this album, and I do hope, although we may be among the few on the planet listening to So There, that Ben Folds sticks with it like Churchill suggested, because this is not only good, it is great.

Richard Hawley is out with a new album, which is quite an event for an avid Hawley fan like me. I was a bit disappointed last time he presented a new album, but this time, with Hollow Meadows, I am back being a happy man again. If I believed in reincarnation, which I certainly don’t, I would have suspected Roy Orbison was involved in putting Richard Hawley together. The same baritone voice, the same pain as well as soothing in the voice, but Hawley is still his own man. His songwriting and his guitar skills add to his genius.

Which leaves us with four performing acts who refuse to give in. One I have already mentioned, good old Squeeze, the band that was destined to take over from the Beatles and to a certain degree did for some of us. But again the comparison is unfair for both. Their new album, From the Cradle to the Grave, is really a soundtrack album to Going to Sea in a Seave, a memoir series from British broadcaster Danny Baker, but it does feel like a real collection, a real LP. The abupt chord changes, the energy, the great tunes, the sunny charm of Difford and Tilbrook, it is all there. I fell immortal listening to new Squeeze tracks in 2015!

And talking about immortality, a new solo album is out this month from a man who is the living proof of man’s indestructability. Keith Richards of Rolling Stones fame should never have been around recording Crosseyed Heart. What he hasn’t exposed his body to has not yet been invented; still there is a lazy energy in everything he does, including this album. I saw him live with the Stones last year, and although he is a bit more stationary than his pal Mick, he didn’t exactly look like he would drift back to a nursing home room after the show. Crosseyed Heart is not full of Jagger-energy either, and a bit backwards looking than modern, but I like it considerably better than Bill Wyman’s album that I exposed you to a few months ago.

He is called the father of British Blues, but great grandfather would be a more appropriate title. John Mayall has just released an album at the age of 82, called Find a Way to Care. And he is not talking about elderly care. I dare blues artists in this day and age making the guitars sing and the piano roll like him. The album has a number of old blues songs, but still feels fresh and new. Never give in.

I presented you with tracks from Pink Floyd’s new album some months back. Now David Gilmour has gone into the studio alone and recorded a considerably better album than Pink Floyd’s The Endless River. Rattle That Lock is as accessible as Pink Floyd at their best, great pop songs with strong melodies, some of these reminiscent of tracks from a musical. His solo guitar trademark is printed all over the album, and his vocals are mixed all the way to the front, successful producer moves, both of them. Floyd aficionados may find the album too middle-of-the-road. To me this album is taking me back to highly loved Richard Wright’s solo albums in the 70s and other fabulous solo projects from the Floyd boys. Like The four Beatles they were sometimes brilliant on their own. Not always, but sometimes.

Mew, Villagers, Van Morrison, Oh Land, Denai Moore, The Leisure Society, Daniel Kvammen, Marina and the Diamonds, Death Cab for Cutie, The Lilac Time, Anneli Drecker, Pokey LaFarge, Bassistry and Bill Fay are now leaving the list. Hope they have given you pleasure and joy.

I will be back with two lists in December: the last refuelling of the Petter Wallace list this year, then a Best of ’15 list. In the meantime, enjoy the 67 new tracks!

 

 

 

 

 

Worried about high blood pressure? Or too little excitement in your life and your body? Music in general – and my blog in particular – may be the answer. A new study reported in Heart, a British Medical Journal publication, has shown that listening to fast music increases blood pressure, whereas listening to slower music has the opposite effect. Today’s new additions will certainly do both, but mostly I have picked artists performing the slower specimens this time. It is a busy time of year, so I’ve chosen to be gentle. You’ll thank me later.

Let’s start with mellow piano music from Chris Connoly, Sun Kil Moon’s pianist. Rock music is by definition repetitive, and Connoly brings the revolving themes into his piano pieces. I find it mostly comforting and heartbreakingly beautiful, although some of the tracks on the album Alameda may be a bit annoying when the themes are repeated over and over again. The four tracks I have chosen are safe, though, and well worth listening to.

The Unthanks from Northumberland in England will treat your heart well. Their new album offers true folk, but often with lavish pop arrangements, making them considerably more accessible than most folk. The sisters’ buttery voices with a bit of edge on top will sooth anyone. The Unthanks naturally reminds me of First Aid Kit, although the former is truer to folk roots. Mount the Air is just lovely, nothing more to say.

The American group Beach House is a pop duo from Baltimore, but the lead singer, Victoria Legrand has roots from France and from one of the greatest musical composers ever, Michel Legrand. Their latest album Depression Cherry shows off their unique and gracious dream pop style. There are more electric instruments here than you would think, given that it the sound is so cool and mellow, but the sound picture is clean and uncomplicated, letting Legrand’s voice tickle you.

I have added music from Yo La Tengo before, considerably less mellow than the new tracks you will find added to the list. The four-piece band from New Jersey is considered an indie band, but on their latest, Stuff Like That There, there isn’t much reminding me of mainstream indie. This is basically an acoustic album with folk undertows, sweet harmonies and lovely melodies, nothing like their previous, groundbreaking album Fade. Perhaps this is what pushing borders really mean. Yo La Tengo does what it likes. And I tag happily along, hoping you will do the same.

Brian Wilson hasn’t changed much, though, but the quality of the songwriting is still as exquisite as in the glory days of the Beach Boys. He keeps the surf beat going, repeating himself just enough to keep us hanging on and without tiring us out. The worst part of this album is the ridiculous pun in the title, No Pier Pressure, the rest of this latest delivery is bursting with sunshine and happiness. Some of the songs brings me back to less troubled days, to a quiet place in my soul. What more can I ask for in music? Bless you, Brian Wilson, may you live and compose and perform forever.

Considerably younger, the Durham family is also going back in time for inspiration. The siblings forming Kitty, Daisy and Lewis stay with their acoustic instruments to create their happy jazzy swing music, borrowing from folk and variety music. On Kitty, Daisy and Lewis The Third, the is a lot of fun and sweetness, all performed with originality in orchestrations and the vocals.

This week’s biggest surprise is Rayland Baxter and his second album Imaginary Man. His voice is so out-of-the-ordinary, touching and occasionally even intimidating , but never unexciting. Every time a track starts he grabs my attention even if have drifted away for a minute. The songwriting is equally good, songs that sticks with me. There is humour and grief perfectly mixed together on this amazing album.

Another brilliant new artist, Lianne La Havas, was introduced to me in 2012 when she released her first album. I added tracks back then, hopefully introducing you to a new talent. Now she has matured even further, and Blood is a great and musically wide-ranging album, introducing us to both soul and sophisticated pop. She worked for a while with Prince, and his influence can definitely be heard, particularly in the daring arrangements and self-confident use of her pleasing voice.

I must admit I have never subscribed to the bottomless praise of Norwegian singer Ane Brun. Of course I recognize the quality of the songwriting, the sorrow in her powerful voice, the daring changes in moods, but it has always been too dark for my taste. On her latest album, though, there are definitely tracks that are pleasing to my ears, as well as to everyone else’s, judging from its popularity . The orchestrations are richer , there is not only sadness in the songs, and I have seen an artist who moves, smiles and reassures. If you are not like me, listen to the whole album, When I’m Free, if you would like to be introduced gently to Ane Brunism, stick to my four selected tracks.

Avid fans of my bloglist (you MUST be out there somewhere calling yourself avid fans) may have noticed that I have added only the occasional Swedish artist, partly because I blame today’s Swedish composers and producers for having ruined much of today’s music scene with their bland and cynical music productions, churning out mostly totally uninteresting “songs” devoid of even the simplest level of sophistication. But enough ranting, I forgive the Swedes because they occasionally give us some of the best music in the world as well. I wouldn’t necessarily call Amason among the best in the world, but the band takes me back to soothing 80s pop, like Fleetwood Mac. The boys and girls in the band have been around for a while, and perform and write with a delicious self-confidence. Sky City is bursting with interesting pop.

On to a country that only has done good for world music, Wales, and to Stephen Black aka Sweet Baboo. He his already released four albums, and listening to his fifth, The Boombox Ballads, I realize I have to go back to listen to the previous ones. There is a bit of soul, a bit of playful pop and a lot of inventive songwriting, with amusing and pointed lyrics. Sweet Baboo’s voice sounds laid-back and like the man owning it having a lot of fun.

Our final artist this time around  is Ingrid Michaelson, the American pop singer with a big following already. Her fourth album went straight to #5 on Billboard, and I would be surprised if Lights Out wouldn’t do well, too. The music is a bit slick, polished and perhaps overproduced, but I guess that is what it takes to make it to the very top. Enough tracks are pleasant enough to enjoy over and over again, both the ballads and the straighter pop tracks.

With 64 new songs in the list, something has to give, and this week I am removing Madonna, Ringo Starr, Ron Sexsmith, Brandi Carlile, Fairport Convention, Keath Mead, Tobias Jesso Jr. and Rebecca Ferguson. These songs have been in the list since May.

 

 

 

Prepare yourself to restore to past – and still stay in the present. A bunch of old favourite artists (and a few notable new ones) let themselves be inspired by the past when creating new music. I am injecting the syringe filled with new tracks into an already strong playlist, so get your headphones out and enjoy! 

Many of the artists refreshing the list have contributed before, so many of you who have stuck with my playlists for many years will – hopefully- fondly recognize voices and beats.

Let me start with two of the strangest bands around, bands that defy any trend and play what they enjoy. Pink Martini is from Portland, Oregon, but sounds like they come from the heart of Europe, presenting song material from all over the world, completely without musical borders. Their new album, Dream a Little Dream, is a collaboration with the descendants of the Von Trapp family of Sound of Music fame. For you rockers out there, have patience with me, and sail away with the beautiful music of thes musical nonconformists.

An equally strange band is Club de Belugas, with their jazzy dance tracks and swinging ear drum teasers. The German band has been around for a number of years and has a loyal following of fans – and of vocalists. Some of the greatest are represented on their new album, Fishing for Zebras, my personal favourite being Veronika Harcsa, with one of the most distinguished and arousing voices around.

I am also mesmerized by Elani Mandell’s honeycoated voice reminiscent of Nancy Sinatra and Karen Carpenter, so no one should be surprised that she has sneaked into my list again with her new album Dark Lights Up. The album is kinder and softer than her previous albums, so expect no raising of blood pressure from Elani’s songs. Some of the tracks are too soft even for my taste, but the group of songs left in the list should be enough to wet softies’ appetites for more.

Welch singer Jodie Marie, is another list veteran, despite her young age. On her new album, Trouble in Mind, she delves into the blues and soul that got her into music in the first place. She makes no apologies for recreating the sound of soul of the 70s and 80s, in many ways like The Commitments did a decade or so ago. Some of the track choices are a bit unimaginative, though, but of course you won’t find them in the list.

Rikke Normann makes no apologies, either. The Norwegian singer, with the lovely alto voice and a great musical range, plays and writes the music she enjoys, and the result is sophisticated pop with enticing swing elements, creating a unique style of her own. Rikke has studied music in Leeds, England, and has been a collaborator with a number of Scandinavian artists. With Dig Deep she is out front alone, where she belongs.

Lenka was the vocalist in Decoder Ring in Australia, but it was when she left her home country for America that her career really took off. Her airy melodic voice and her knack for creating sweet and sultry pop songs, have been a great combination, proven by her latest album The Bright Side. And bright it is, so bright I should have added it to the list earlier this summer. I still think you can take the sugar shock even this late in the year. I find it impossible to not be charmed by one song in major after the other. Life is good.

If Lenka and the other happy artists above are a tad too much, her comes an antidote in the shape of Magnus Berg, a Norwegian blues artist that has taken the international blues world by storm. Blues Blast Magazine nominated him as Best New Album Debut for Cut Me Loose this year, and blues lovers will applaud the nomination. Magnus spends a lot of his time in the U.S. and there isn’t much Scandinavian influence in his music. I find it fresh and foot-stomping good.

The Last Hurrah! has also picked up a lot of inspiration and band members in the U.S., even though the band is clearly Norwegian-born. I was first impressed by them when the band contributed to the tribute to Pink Floyd last year, recreating part of Dark Side of the Moon in the most creative way. Their album Mudflowers should have had considerably more attention than it has received, despite rave reviews in Norway. But that goes for a lot of artists in my list, one of the principal reasons for me to publish.

I can say the same about the band that named this week’s blog entry, Restore to Past, a lot of fabulous reviews, equally much attention when they played Øyafestivalen in Oslo this summer, but no chart topper for the album Restore to Past. The two musicians behind the band, Kristian Romsøe and Leifson Persbraaten, are the only really stable elements in the band, the rest of the musicans on the album drift in and out of tracks. The result, however, is one of the most beautiful and memorable collections of 2015, from any country.

An artist that definitely has got a lot of attention this summer is George Ezra, and deservedly so. He made his debut with an EP in 2013, but his music bloomed with this year’s Wanted on Voyage. (The title refers to the sticker on Paddington Bear’s suitcase – but of course you knew that). It is beyond belief that Ezra is only 22 years old. His voice has the roughness and confindence of a much more mature artist, and the songwriter Ezra is equally sophisticated and surprising.

I’ll end by taking you to Brazil, to mandolin player Hamilton de Holandia. I haven’t introduced my listeners and readers to mandolin music before, possibly for good reasons, but de Holandia offers Latin American music of the highest quality and enjoyment, going out front only when necessary and letting his fellow musicians shine. O Baile do Almeidhinha is his 21^st album, so if you like what you hear, take a day off work and dive into music that will keep you moving. Who can sit still to this? Not me.

With as many as 70 new songs, a few artists will have to leave us, as usual. This time the following artists pay the price of a long list life: Angeleena Presley, Gretchen Peters, Father John Misty, Willie Nile, Damien Rice, Punch Brothers, Mark Ronson and Trevor Bretzer. As this week’s list shows, great artists are invited back.

 

 

A little intermezzo before the holiday – at least my holiday – ends, twenty-four songs from five albums by artists from four countries.

I know it is not completely PC to refer to Indians (probably not to cowboys either for that matter) any more, but I couldn’t resist the headline when the talented Buffy Sainte-Marie (who is a Cree, not an Indian; Ghandi is an Indian, in case you wondered) returns with a surprisingly good album in her 74^th year, Power in the Blood. It is ironic that a 74-year old is the artist with the most power in her voice, in her arrangements, and not the least in her convictions, in my list right now. She has had ample time for practise; her first record came in 1963, 53 years ago, and she hasn’t lost the touch. Her vibrato voice could earlier drive me to madness, but as with good old Ringo, the older they get, the better they sound.

A slightly younger man, Pete Atkin, used to be paired up with one of my TV presenter favourites, Clive James, but Clive is sadly ridden with leukaemia, and doesn’t record any more. Most of the songs on the album, The Colours of the Night,  are small recitations, in which the lyrics are at the forefront at the expense of the music, but I have picked three gems that moved me and that work well when you are paying attention. You should.

I was never particularly fond of Aztec Camera when they were around. I couldn’t nail why the band never turned me on, perhaps the music was too bland for me, I don’t know. However, I do like Scottish singer Roddy Frame’s album , Seven Dials, at least most of the songs. Here are clear references to 70s and 80s albums by Al Stewart and Billy Joel, and the production could have been done as many years ago – and that is a compliment.

Sharon Robinson has been Leonard Cohen’s backing singer, arranger and collaborator for decades, and co-wrote some of his songs, like Everybody Knows. She has just released her second album, and some of the tracks on Caffeine are just exquisite (of course you’ll find all of them in the list), so when you have played Cohen’s songs to death, put Sharon on instead. You blood pressure will stay down.

Then, finally, on to the cowboys. Yes, I know there is a lot of country in my list now, but you won’t mind The Deslondes, I promise, because this New Orleans band, doesn’t apologise for their old-time country style and they do it so damn well. There are songs on the The Deslondes album that push the limits of what I can take – I am after all only an immigrant country fan; I wasn’t born into it – but I have picked four great honky tonky howdydoody Midwestern songs, taking me back to my alma mater in Ohio and happy times.

The list is thus shortened; Darren Hayman, Ryan Bingham, Yo Zushi, Zaz, Grace Griffith, Maggie Björklund and Amira Medunjanin have served us really well and hopefully broadened our musical perspectives. Continue listening to them. I will.

Here us the updated Spotify list: https://open.spotify.com/user/pewalla/playlist/0IYuA8tJNdTAT8sc1E8dBk

I have given up on Apple Music for the time being. Many albums are just not there, and the manual way I have to update the list is driving me up the wall. As soon as Apple has got its act together, I promise I will make another attempt to give you my list there as well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yes, I know, there isn’t much left of the Empire politically, but in pop music the Brits still rule much of the world, and if we add the former Colonies, then at least this week’s blog list additions tell a story of total domination., as all 14 artists are from Britain, the US and Australia. As far as I remember, this is the first time it happens, but all 14 deserve to be there, to add pleasure to our lives at a time when pleasure rules over business.

Let’s start at “home”, in good old England and with an artist who has been around for quite a while, Bill Wyman, formerly of the Rolling Stones, but that’s hard to believe listening to Back to Basics. Wyman has also previously shown his affection for swing and rhythm & blues, but this time he goes further than ever and serves up a mid- to downtempo album, with lyrics bordering on the infantile. Still, in small doses, this is nice music accompanying your third glass of sangria, just wished he had left the singing to someone else, to be honest. (Not in the Apple Music Blog list)

Who would have thought that we’d hear more from Mick Hucknall and Simply Red? Well, guess what, he/they are back, with Big Love, an album that can make one fall in love with the band all over again, as he/they share with us how they fall in love all over again. It is the sweetest soul music, without any rough edges, songs that just takes you on a lovely ride through sweet lyrics and divine chords. Why be young again when you can be old with Mick?

A third old Englishman is also to be found in this week’s list. Richard Thompson is no longer part of Fairport Convention (who are still in the list from an entry earlier this year), but their heritage is still to be heard on his new album Still. Thompson is a bit angrier and sometimes funnier than he sounded before, with lyrics that demand you to listen. He is added a little mini-musical about his guitar heroes. I wish more musicians would want to do something so out-of-the-box-y like this, highly enjoyable.

One of Thompson’s guitar heroes could easily have been Larry Campbell, a studio musician and member of Bob Dylan’s previous band, who has just released an album with his wife Teresa Williams, backing and lead singer. At times their two voices are like honey together, in other songs on the Larry Campbell and Teresa Williams album, there is the annoying country twang that can drive me up a wall. It goes without saying that I have picked tracks with the honey kind. (Not in Aplle Music Bloglist)

Followers of my blog have come to learn of my growing infatuation with some country music, and one of my absolute favourites is Kacey Musgraves, so much that it borders on infatuation for her. Which isn’t so weird; she is breathtaking and in her lyrics are personal, funny, bittersweet and self-deprecating, inviting me as a listener in to what feels like a private world. The music on Pageant Material  is sometimes a bit bland, but the majority of songs are lovable. Her last album ended up on my top 10 list of that year; I wouldn’t be surprised if she makes it one more time. As if she cares. But what if she does? Sigh…

I could easily be infatuated with Simi Stone as well, at least with the collection of happy soul tracks on her debut album, Simi Stone. She has got a perky voice that can liven a funeral, and even though this is her first and is made in 2015, no doubt she knows her soul history. I have picked seven representative tracks of the album, feel free to listen to the whole collection.

Another magnificent voice, not perky at all, just with a lot of power, is Florence of Florence+ The Machine, out with a new album, How Big, How Blue How Beautiful. I have to sit up straight when I hear Florence’s insisting songs, but they do something for me and to me, even on this album when a lot of the elements that made the first albums so exhilarating are repeated, offering little new, just another angle on a by now familiar theme. Still, this is like a genre of its own, so as with classic rock’n’roll and blues, I can take a little repetition.

We have to go to Australia to find a band really pushing boundaries, Alpine. Their previous big hit, Hands, was one of the most original and surprising pop songs of 2012, with a fantastic video accompanying it. Their latest release, Yuck (they don’t mess with long titles) offers a lot of similar icy and crisp arrangements, sometimes a bit too much, but enough times successfully done. It is music I can listen to over and over, and find new interesting stuff for every listen. I didn’t dare adding more that three songs; you know where to find more if you want it.

I know I am pushing my own limits a bit when adding station rock band Ash from Northern Ireland. Still, their new album, Kablamoo!, their seventh, serves up at least five tracks that can be passed on to you uncensored. If you feel more adventurous, try the whole album. Their momentous new song, For Eternity, is among the very best tracks in this week’s list, so my conscience is clear.

To swing the pendulum all the way to the other side, let’s listen to the umpteenth album from singer/songwriter James Taylor. I have always loved the silky smooth voice of Taylor, and he has written some of the loveliest songs, not all of them well known. Still, a lot of his songs are forgettable, and his latest album, Before This World, has its fair share of these. But some are left when my butcher’s knife has been cutting away, fours tracks that show why James Taylor still is a musical force to be reckoned with in his 6^th decade as a musician and composer.

Gill Landry came into the music business the hardest way, through busking, and luck and perseverance played a great part in making him a recording artist. He is borderline country, sometimes too much country for my taste, but the quality of the songs and his powerful and self-confident, sad voice do it for me. There is also an element of Mexican in the orchestrations that I enjoy listening to. One of the songs is a duet with Laura Marling, “Take this Body”. And the album is simply called Gill Landry. (Not in the Apple Music Bloglist)

Nev Cottee hails from Manchester, England, and is instantly recognizable with his deep baritone voice, reminiscent of Lee Hazlewood. His new album, his second, is a bit weird, but in between inaccessible songs some real gems are found on Strange News From the Sun. There is a richness here, that lends itself to repeated listening, not your average four-piece band.

On to Denver, Colorado and husband-wife duo Tennis, made up of Patrick Riley and Alaina Moore. They are on to their third album, Ritual is Repeat. Tennis reached a certain fame, like Brandi Carlile that was featured in this blog last time, when one of their songs was used on the soundtrack of Grey’s Anatomy. Ritual in Repeat has lovely harmonies and lush orchestrations, well worth listening to.

If you are a fan of the tragic author Sylvia Plath, you are in for a treat. I am not very familiar with Plath’s writing, but I am still excited about Kathryn Williams’ tribute to her, the concept album Hypoxia. The songs are dark, but eerily beautiful and one can sense the deep emotions behind them, particularly in “Tango with Marco”. Kathryn Williams has been around since the 1990s, as a folk singer, and Hypoxia is her 11^th album.

This week it is goodbye to The Decemberists, Antony and the Johnsons, Katzenjammer and Andreas Loven, Haerts, Belle & Sebastian and She & Him. I hope the 64 new songs are great replacements.

 

Again I have added both a Spotify and an Apple Music version, we’ll see after a while where you decide to listen from, too early to call a winner. : https://itunes.apple.com/no/playlist/petter-wallace-bloglist/idpl.8201d6af39254e54a713b6dbc7c6dbdb?l=nb 

and

 

 

 

 

 

 

Summer is the perfect time to push some musical boundaries. I have added both pure jazz, classical music, world and Europop to this week’s blog list, knowing that you are too sedated by sun and sea to protest. By then you may have fallen in love with new tracks you never would have considered if it hadn’t been for my blog list. To soften the blow – and to remain ahead of the game – you will find the music both in Spotify and in Apple Music! Some tracks are not yet available in Apple Music, but enough are there to give you a real choice. You’re welcome.

The most controversial trakcs added  are  of course songs from Eurovision Song Contest. It is easy to forget when being exposed to one crap song after another that every year a small number of countries come up with something different and worthwhile listening to. I added five of the 20+songs last year, and I do the same this year: the songs from Latvia, Belgium, Australia, Norway and Cyprus. Grit your teeth and give the songs a chance if you haven’t already done so.

And when you’re in a broadminded mode, lend your ear to Kyle Eastwood. Yes, he is the bass playing son of the great Clint. Like many sons of celebrities there has been advantages and disadvantages of being in the spotlight with your parent. The expectations are high, but at the same time exposure is easier to get. Kyle is, however, a true artist in his own right, a great jazz musician and film composer. His new Timepieces album is filled to the brim with classic jazz, perfect for summer listening.

If you haven’t given up on me by now, let me move swiftly to the wonderful voice of Angeliquie Kidjo, (the flag is from Benin, if you wondered) performing some of her best world songs with a symphony orchestra from Luxembourg, Orchestre Philharmonique Du Luxembourg True African beat fans might find this a bit too polished, but I think Sings is the perfect mix of Western and African influences, and if you are unfamiliar with African music, this might be your ticket into an exciting musical world.

Staying within the classical world, let’s move to James Horner and his collaboration with the Norwegian siblings Mari and Håkon Samuelsen. Their album, Pas de Deux, has been this spring’s surprise hit in Norway, where classical music doesn’t normally reach the hit lists. Reviewers haven’t all been kind to the album, classifying it as kitsch and not demanding enough, a criticism that has only heightened the interest. Tragically, James Horner was killed in an airplane accident shortly after the release only 61 years old. Pas de Deux consists of compositions clearly inspired by the great romantic masters and of Hollywood, but I find both the siblings’ violin performances and Horner’s compositions beautiful, haunting and tender.

Tenderness is at the centre of JD Souther’s new album called – naturally – Tenderness. Souther doesn’t even try to make music that sounds remotely modern, but for all of us missing Don Henley, Harry Nilsson and other 70s crooners find some consolation in JDs sweet, tender pop music. I have fallen in love with this album and will turn to it every time life runs off with me, reminding me of the wonderful first decades of my adult life.

I have also fallen in love with Canadian married couple duo Whitehorse and their album Leave No Bridge Unburned. The album came as a complete surprise to me. As I listened to it for the first time, I was completely taken aback by the quality and the smartness of the song writing. There is a freshness and cheekiness to the music that is quite rare these days.   This is Whitehorse’s second album, so hopefully we have years of wonderful music to look forward to. I have had a hard time cutting down the number of tracks, but if you want more, go to the whole album and also to their debut album. You will not be disappointed.

Chungking, a trio from Brighton, England, don’t flirt too much with Top 20 contemporary music, rather there are throwbacks to the disco age in their music with Jessie Banks’ sugary vocals at the front. The band was big in Japan already in the early 2000s, and now they hope to make it in Europe, too, with Defender  At least they made my blog list, so let’s see where that can lead Chunking.

American indie band My Morning Jacket, also has a background performing with symphony orchestras. The five-member band recorded and performed with The Boston Pops as far back as in 2006. Now they are out with a fresh new album, The Waterfall, their seventh to date, and definitely their most successful. I have added three tracks, but if you like it, go to the full album.

The last entry this week is also an American artist, country singer Shelby Lynne. I consider her 2003 album Identity Crisis, one of the best country albums ever. In my view she has never reached that level since, but her albums are always well crafted and unique. That goes for her latest as well, I Can’t Imagine, a truly inspired album.

We are saying goodbye to Matthew Edwards & The Unfortunates, Blake Mills, Paul McCartney, Saint Saviour, Moi, Anthony D’Amato, Mimmi Tamba, Yusuf/Cat Stevens and Elin Furubotn, who have all cuddled our eardrums since January.

 

Here is the music in Spotify:

 

 

 

And for you early adapters, here is my Apple Music playlist. It might not work everywhere and on every device yet. But believe me, the music is there: https://itunes.apple.com/no/playlist/petter-wallace-bloglist/idpl.8201d6af39254e54a713b6dbc7c6dbdb?l=nb

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is what a reviewer called the latest album from Marina & The Diamonds (reviewed by me below), and I thought this was a great title for my blog list overall. Except you will also find Blues, Jazz, Folk, Country, World and Rock for Grownups in my list. It is the grownups part that is particularly fitting, not necessarily grownup in age (I appreciate the many younger readers/listeners) but grownup in taste. I imagine readers/listeners have listened to a lot of music before and like to be both challenged and gratified. Today I am publishing 74 tracks from 14 albums with artists from 7 countries, a new record I believe, but to get you to the music fast, let me be short about what they are and who are behind them.  https://open.spotify.com/user/pewalla/playlist/0IYuA8tJNdTAT8sc1E8dBk

 

Michael Bublé, P.J. Proby, Georgie Fame, Claire Teal, Natalie Cole, Chris Farlowe and Mark Knopfler are all helping Van Morrison out on his first duet album, Duets: Re-Working the Catalogue. . You should think this was an unbeatable collection, but although I have picked 7 tracks, I was disappointed, because Duets serves more as a sing-a-long album with Van. Very little new is added to the interpretations of his classic songs. But I thought: These are great songs however they are treated, so what the heck. Sing a long, you too, if you like.

Moving down to Ireland and to a promising, for me, new group, Villagers. Darling Arithmatic is their third album, and everything seems to be centred on Conor J. O’Brien,. The music is atmospheric and with lovely tunes and great, romantic lyrics.

I often hear music enthusiasts speak condescendingly about Danish pop music. I find this quite unfair, as the two artists I have added ought to prove. Mew has been around for a while and is big in their home country. Like Villagers the band offers atmospheric pop with beautiful harmonies. Not all tracks on +- is as brilliant as the four tracks I have added, though. But isnt’t that the point of this list, you get the best bits?

Oh Land, or Nanna Øland Fabricius as her real name is, has been in my list before. Her new album, Earthsick,  offers more of the same, but I like the variety in the songs and the grandness of the orchestrations. Nanna likes to pour it on and the result is well worth listening to.

While in Scandinavia, let’s listen to two Norwegian artists, very different from each other. Daniel Kvammen from Geilo comes from a singer/songwriter tradition, but his debut album Fremad i alle retninga (Forward in all directions)  offers great variety the transcends the genre.

 

Anneli Drecker is a seasoned artist, vocalist in arctic electronica band Bel Canto who has also recorded with Röyksopp. The tracks of her new album Rocks and Straws are all based on poems by Arvid Hanssen translated to English. There is not much electronica left in Anneli, but what remains warms the heart and massages your eardrums. This is really lovely.

I started quoting a review of Marina and the Diamonds’ new album FROOT. Although the terms used fit the overall description of this blog, the album at times becomes to bubblygummy for me. I loved their previous album and Marina Diamandis’ sultry voice, but on FROOT there are too many tracks leaving me with nothing. What is left, though, is great pop music, and you find those seven tracks in the list.

I am also a bit disappointed in The Leisure Society’s new album with the great title The Fine Art of Hanging On. Nick Hemming (who for the most part is The Leisure Society) has given us fabulous pop music before, and four of the tracks on the new album should give you reason enough to delve into their back catalogue. Long standing blog readers should remember many previous samples from the band.

Death Cab for Cutie’s new album offers a number of good songs, but again I had expected more. Lead singer Ben Gibbard realeased an excellent solo album last year, so perhaps most of the energy went into that one? Still, this is a brilliant band, so when the songs I didn’t appreciate were deleted, I was left with four enjoyable tracks from Kintsugi to wet your appetite for their back catalogue.

You might also remember Denai Moore. She is still a young, fairly unknown artist, 22 years of age, but her sound is remarkable, solemn and with an insisting voice that grabs me, reminding me of Adele and Laura Mvula. Enjoyr tracks from her new album Elsewhere.

There is not much fun around Bill Fay either, this is an introvert performer, but with a quiet intensity in the very low-intensity songs. Bill Fay seems to deal with the greater questions in life on his new album Who is the Sender? , and even about the art of song writing. Bill has been around since the 70s, but has always been an outsider in the business, which might explain the quality of his music…

London’s jazz/funk band Bassistry shows a lot of promise, but even though their latest album,What the Hell Do You Call This?  was a bit disappointing, I have added 3 tracks to the list. Let’s keep an eye (and two ears) on the band, great things may evolve later.

The Lilac Time also shows a lot of promise, with folksy pop music with a country twist, reminding me of Prefab Sprout, with beautiful, well-crafted songs, sweet melodies. Their album is called No Sad Songs, which is not entirely true.

Finally, something very different, Pokey LaFarge. This (Something in the Water) is a mixture of old styles of pop music, from ragtime to swing to music from down south. Some of it gets a bit too much and too rich, but in small doses (I have added four tracks) this is a lot of fun.

Like Sarah Brightman so poignantly proclaimed, it is time to say goodbye, this time to Gjermund Larsen, Sid Griffin, Deptford Goth, Adrian Crowley, Bell Gardens, Stars, Neil Diamond, Skinny Dipper, The New Basement Tapes, Jaymay, Pink Floyd, Woman’s Hour and Mark Nevin,