Tony Allen was a shapeshifting legend who supplied Afro-beat with its polyrhythmic verve and grace. Michael Sumsion pays tribute to the musical powerhouse who has died in Paris at the age of 79. The world of music has just felt another jolt, another sad loss. Tony Allen was more than just a drummer; he was a force of nature who helped lay the groundwork for a whole genre of … [Read more...] about Tony Allen: Legendary drummer and Afrobeat pioneer
Ben Lukas Boysen: Mirage – Review
Ben Lukas Boysen delivers a vivid, tactile and immersive long-player of impressive breadth and emotional substance. One of the unforeseen by-products of the current Covid-19 lockdown has been the slowing down of our daily rhythms and a greater appreciation of nature and smaller things we take for granted. Hand in hand with this deceleration has arisen the increasing need to … [Read more...] about Ben Lukas Boysen: Mirage – Review
Fiona Apple: Fetch The Bolt Cutters – Review
The widely praised fifth album by Fiona Apple, the elusive and iconic New York singer-songwriter, is a self-indulgent, formless and rickety rackety listen that will alienate as much as elucidate. The Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter and classically-trained pianist Fiona Apple has something of a slim canon for a recording career stretching back over twenty-four years. … [Read more...] about Fiona Apple: Fetch The Bolt Cutters – Review
Jamie XX: Idontknow – Single Review
Jamie XX returns with a new song, his first since 2015’s all-conquering In Colour album. Just when you’d thought James Thomas Smith, the British producer and beat-sculptor known as Jamie XX, had vanished off the face of the earth, he’s unleashed a brand new track entitled Idontknow, an ear-worm that cropped up in live sets last year and is now getting props from other … [Read more...] about Jamie XX: Idontknow – Single Review
James Elkington: Ever-Roving Eye – Review
James Elkington, the Chicago-based British troubadour, returns with another gossamer collection of finger-picking folk pastorals and finely crafted, evergreen song-writing throwbacks. Building upon the bucolic folk mantras of 2017’s Wintres Woma, James Elkington’s latest opus, Ever-Roving Eye confirms his burgeoning credentials as a classy operator in his own right and not … [Read more...] about James Elkington: Ever-Roving Eye – Review
Bill Withers: An Enlightened Soul Singer
The news of Bill Withers’ death at the age of eighty-one hit me like a freight train last week; another musical legend departing this world whose singular excellence we’ve somehow taken for granted over the years. Casual listeners of this humble soul’s output will naturally gravitate towards the likes of Lovely Day, Lean On Me and Ain’t No Sunshine, FM radio staples … [Read more...] about Bill Withers: An Enlightened Soul Singer