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Music : The Black Swan
1 2
Rating: 
- Five star review 10 star album
Ok let's get the guest star issue over with first.
Yes they are wyrdy beardie folkies but speaking as one who loves the lysergic twist this is not a bad thing. Beth Orton has a modicum of beatastic fame and has come out the other side relatively unscathed. The Espers crew know how to spook things up deliciously. Love that Cello. Devendra is just Devendra and keeps things mellow, So far so wyrd,
All of this frippery obviously keeps young Bert atuned to the contempoary ether because this is a fine album. The title song is the best one here; it is a belter and stands in my top 5 Bert tunes (I accept I have not heard all of 304 odd or something but a fair smatterring over the years.) Anyway the hairs on my neck tell me it's a goody.
As regards the vocals - they're rough and ready. They do what they say. On "Katie Cruel" Devendra and Beth work magic but if you are expecting precision singing you've come to the wrong CD.
The beauty and strength of this CD is the diversity of tone even if the moods is maintained. I am not a fan generally of guest stars, figuring that they obscure the main event (Come in Carlos Santana) but here they add and compliment - and it works a treat. At times it is a bit like a fab home made compilation. Bert's playing is spot on and joyful - when compared on a a scale of dourness 1-5, Bert usually ranks just below Gordon Brown - but here he must only be a 3.5.
On "Texas Cowboy USA" is a bass driven polemic about Bush Jnr - yes really! Even the his Bobness should cover this. "Magdalina's dance" an instrumental features the banjo and brings to mind Sufjan Stevens - again contemporary stuff that is rooted in the past. What goes around comes around.
Not everyones cup of tea, granted. Not everyone likes and 18 year old malt. That said, can we arrange a whip round for a new set of ears for those who only gave this less than 5 stars?
I commend this CD to the house.
Rating:
- Well done Bert! A great album, if not quite a classic.
I've been a fan of Bert Jansch for around 12 or 13 years now, after discovering him very suddenly when given a spare ticket and an invite to one of his live shows in the North of England - I'd heard the name but never the music, and it was a bit of revelation!
Jansch has a style all his own - his guitar work is broken and nevertheless full, full of dazzling runs, hammers and chiming stops (as a semi-professional Jazz guitarist I can assure you of his tremendous skill!). His harmonies and resolutions are unique, and his voice is better described as beautiful than pretty - the fact that he makes it work is testament to his great musical powers!
This album marks a step further into the country influences that have appeared more and more in his work over the years - there is some great slide guitar and some lovely "pickin'" here, and although it doesn't always quite work, this is a soulful and sad album that still leaves you with a great faith in life and love. The lyrics are not always profound, but they are genuine without fail, and always pure Jansch.
The collaboration with Beth Orton is a little disappointing at times - the vocal harmonies they produce together are great, and Beth's voice suits much of the material, but at times it all feels a little too amateur - "Watch the Stars" is a very weak track, and it feels like they only included it because they wanted to sing together, not because it's a worthy inclusion. On the other hand "When The Sun Comes Up" shows Orton at her best, and is one of the standout tracks.
This is one of the best albums from Bert in recent years in my opinion - stripped back to the musical basics that set him apart. The title track is superb, and "Bring Your Religion" is a personal favourite. As usual, the best tracks are those where Bert simply sings and plays his guitar, and the tracks with lots of other instrumentation seldom come close for real feeling - "Texas Cowboy Blues" is a perfect example, very well performed but over-complicated and lacking any atmosphere.
Overall this is a cracking album, and I would highly recommend it to Jansch fans. Those unfamiliar with his work would be better to start elsewhere I think.
Rating:
- Good but not great
This album has some very haunting and beautiful moments, but also sadly some poor tracks. Bert Jansch is a great guitarist and has a distinctive voice but the songs here are hit and miss.
Still worth buying for the title track alone. Investigation of his earlier stuff is also an idea though....
Rating: - Nowt so queer as folk
As a newcomer to Bert Jansch and a relative newcomer to the folk world, I bought this on the strength of its reviews.
I think I can see why people would like this album, but I'm sorry to say it hasn't made a convert out of me. Sometimes it is bluesy and American in feel and sometimes it is Anglo/Irish. For me, that's part of the problem - it doesn't have a musical or cultural identity beyond what is probably the man's own niche. This was never a problem with (say) The Pogues, whose American and Australian themes showed a clear link to their Irish roots and it isn't a problem with those among the current wave of folk acts I have encountered.
The musicianship is excellent. I daresay the slightly odd vocals from both Bert and Beth might grow on me, given time, but I don't know if I have the patience. Lyrically, I don't quite know what to make of it. At times it seems wilfully slap-dash, but maybe that's the point? The last two tracks are rather nice (the penultimate one being an instrumental). If the rest of the album had been more like this, I'd have no qualms with it. Maybe I'll come back to this album and learn to love it, maybe it'll stay in the back of the CD drawer and gather dust.
Rating: - stunning return to form
This is a beautiful album and a heart-warming return to the scene for one of Great Britain's most influential and important musicians of the 1960's.
if you claim to be a fan of Bob Dylan (who is also enjoying a stunning return to form this year) then this album is vital. If not, then it's still an astonishing album and one of the best releases of 2006 so far.
Definitely worth checking out...a living legend.
- Five star review 10 star albumOk let's get the guest star issue over with first.
Yes they are wyrdy beardie folkies but speaking as one who loves the lysergic twist this is not a bad thing. Beth Orton has a modicum of beatastic fame and has come out the other side relatively unscathed. The Espers crew know how to spook things up deliciously. Love that Cello. Devendra is just Devendra and keeps things mellow, So far so wyrd,
All of this frippery obviously keeps young Bert atuned to the contempoary ether because this is a fine album. The title song is the best one here; it is a belter and stands in my top 5 Bert tunes (I accept I have not heard all of 304 odd or something but a fair smatterring over the years.) Anyway the hairs on my neck tell me it's a goody.
As regards the vocals - they're rough and ready. They do what they say. On "Katie Cruel" Devendra and Beth work magic but if you are expecting precision singing you've come to the wrong CD.
The beauty and strength of this CD is the diversity of tone even if the moods is maintained. I am not a fan generally of guest stars, figuring that they obscure the main event (Come in Carlos Santana) but here they add and compliment - and it works a treat. At times it is a bit like a fab home made compilation. Bert's playing is spot on and joyful - when compared on a a scale of dourness 1-5, Bert usually ranks just below Gordon Brown - but here he must only be a 3.5.
On "Texas Cowboy USA" is a bass driven polemic about Bush Jnr - yes really! Even the his Bobness should cover this. "Magdalina's dance" an instrumental features the banjo and brings to mind Sufjan Stevens - again contemporary stuff that is rooted in the past. What goes around comes around.
Not everyones cup of tea, granted. Not everyone likes and 18 year old malt. That said, can we arrange a whip round for a new set of ears for those who only gave this less than 5 stars?
I commend this CD to the house.
Rating:
- Well done Bert! A great album, if not quite a classic.I've been a fan of Bert Jansch for around 12 or 13 years now, after discovering him very suddenly when given a spare ticket and an invite to one of his live shows in the North of England - I'd heard the name but never the music, and it was a bit of revelation!
Jansch has a style all his own - his guitar work is broken and nevertheless full, full of dazzling runs, hammers and chiming stops (as a semi-professional Jazz guitarist I can assure you of his tremendous skill!). His harmonies and resolutions are unique, and his voice is better described as beautiful than pretty - the fact that he makes it work is testament to his great musical powers!
This album marks a step further into the country influences that have appeared more and more in his work over the years - there is some great slide guitar and some lovely "pickin'" here, and although it doesn't always quite work, this is a soulful and sad album that still leaves you with a great faith in life and love. The lyrics are not always profound, but they are genuine without fail, and always pure Jansch.
The collaboration with Beth Orton is a little disappointing at times - the vocal harmonies they produce together are great, and Beth's voice suits much of the material, but at times it all feels a little too amateur - "Watch the Stars" is a very weak track, and it feels like they only included it because they wanted to sing together, not because it's a worthy inclusion. On the other hand "When The Sun Comes Up" shows Orton at her best, and is one of the standout tracks.
This is one of the best albums from Bert in recent years in my opinion - stripped back to the musical basics that set him apart. The title track is superb, and "Bring Your Religion" is a personal favourite. As usual, the best tracks are those where Bert simply sings and plays his guitar, and the tracks with lots of other instrumentation seldom come close for real feeling - "Texas Cowboy Blues" is a perfect example, very well performed but over-complicated and lacking any atmosphere.
Overall this is a cracking album, and I would highly recommend it to Jansch fans. Those unfamiliar with his work would be better to start elsewhere I think.
Rating:
- Good but not greatThis album has some very haunting and beautiful moments, but also sadly some poor tracks. Bert Jansch is a great guitarist and has a distinctive voice but the songs here are hit and miss.
Still worth buying for the title track alone. Investigation of his earlier stuff is also an idea though....
Rating:
- Nowt so queer as folkAs a newcomer to Bert Jansch and a relative newcomer to the folk world, I bought this on the strength of its reviews.
I think I can see why people would like this album, but I'm sorry to say it hasn't made a convert out of me. Sometimes it is bluesy and American in feel and sometimes it is Anglo/Irish. For me, that's part of the problem - it doesn't have a musical or cultural identity beyond what is probably the man's own niche. This was never a problem with (say) The Pogues, whose American and Australian themes showed a clear link to their Irish roots and it isn't a problem with those among the current wave of folk acts I have encountered.
The musicianship is excellent. I daresay the slightly odd vocals from both Bert and Beth might grow on me, given time, but I don't know if I have the patience. Lyrically, I don't quite know what to make of it. At times it seems wilfully slap-dash, but maybe that's the point? The last two tracks are rather nice (the penultimate one being an instrumental). If the rest of the album had been more like this, I'd have no qualms with it. Maybe I'll come back to this album and learn to love it, maybe it'll stay in the back of the CD drawer and gather dust.
Rating:
- stunning return to formThis is a beautiful album and a heart-warming return to the scene for one of Great Britain's most influential and important musicians of the 1960's.
if you claim to be a fan of Bob Dylan (who is also enjoying a stunning return to form this year) then this album is vital. If not, then it's still an astonishing album and one of the best releases of 2006 so far.
Definitely worth checking out...a living legend.