SILK SNIC: A Evening With Silk Sonic (Atlantic).
Rating: 
Verdict: Elegant and soulful
COURTNEY BARBNETT: Time is a factor in things (Marathon).
Rating:
Verdict: Eloquent indie rock
KATIE MELUA: Acoustic album No.8 (BMG).
Rating: 
Verdict: Katie goes back to basics
When the nominations for next year’s BRITs were announced last weekend, the focus was firmly on the heavy hitters, like Adele and Ed Sheeran, and the British rap of Little Simz and Dave — all of whom are up for four awards.
Hidden further down on the card was an American act who just released an album, which, although it is almost invisible, makes for a great surprise.
Silk Sonic — who will battle it out with Abba for the best international group prize in February — marks a welcome return for Bruno Mars, who has already chalked up five No 1 singles in the UK, including the Mark Ronson collaboration Uptown Funk.
Silk Sonic — who will battle it out with Abba for the best international group prize in February — marks a welcome return for Bruno Mars
He’s now back with Anderson.Paak, the Californian singer/drummer.
An Evening With Silk Sonic will not be the debut of Adele or Sheeran on the UK charts.
But for lovers of 1970s soul harmony groups like The Delfonics and The Stylistics — and fans of 1980s funk — it’s well worth a listen.
It was originally due to be released next year. However, it was delayed because the American duo soared in popularity.
An Evening With Silk Sonic is their debut and it’s unlikely that they will be able to topple Adele or Sheeran in the UK charts
Mars is perhaps the most well-known of the two, but it’s not just Bruno who is more famous.
To emphasize his obsessiveness with details, his new partner added an extra stop to his name to highlight his obsession. He shares the lead vocals and also adds Motown-style drums.
The two of them have been together since 2017 when they went on tour. They’re a true double act.
There are plenty of nods to vintage R&B. After Last Night’s electric sitar is an homage to 1970s soul songs like Freda Payne’s Band Of Gold or The Stylistics’ You Make Me Feel New.
The single Leave The Door Open is already chart-topping in America. It features a reference Michael Jackson’s Bad. Bruno makes a joke about it, making a few Jacko-like shouts of “shamone!”‘.
Fly As Me is an excellent retro-funk track. There are cameos, too, from storied funk musician Bootsy Collins, who introduces the group — and announces himself as ‘the blaster of the universe’ — as a compere at the start of the album.
These carefully-sequenced tunes are woven together by him with spoken words that give the show an intimate feel.
Sometimes Silk Sonic can be too obsessed with authenticity. Silk Sonic recorded using analogue equipment in order to faithfully reproduce the sounds from the 1980s and 1970s.
Silk Sonic can sometimes be too obsessed with authenticity. Silk Sonic recorded using analogue equipment in order to faithfully reproduce the sounds from the 1980s and 1970s.
Luckily, their lyrics — about high-rolling romance, gold-digging lovers and the thrills and spills of Las Vegas casinos — are delivered with a knowing nod that steers them clear of pastiche.
The main goal of their efforts to revive the art form known as soul harmony was to produce a record that felt good and would encourage people to come together.
They will be able to appear on UK television shows if they are successful in the States.
A third excellent album from Courtney Barnett, an Australian singer and songwriter, has been overlooked in the pop flurry before Christmas.
The third album of Australian singer/songwriter Courtney Barnett is another excellent release that was overlooked in the pop pre-Christmas frenzy. It sounds almost as if Things Take Time Take Time is a self-absorbed dispatch.
Barnett (34), sings about gazing out the windows of her Melbourne apartment at stray dogs. The unassuming indie rock of Barnett is accented by the jangling guitars, and the beats of Stella Mozgawa (all-girl band Warpaint). There are no major surprises.
Yet, she is able to make every day more than just the sum of its parts. She made this album in the wake of a big romantic breakup, and her meditative songs — and droll humour — make for an eloquent journey through heartache and healing.
She refuses to dwell in self-pity and writes a brisk country rocker, Write A List of Things to Look Forward to, which encourages positive thinking.
The second is one of several Lou Reed songs. “If I Don’t Hear from You Tonight” sounds almost like an outtake from Lou Reed’s album with The Velvet Underground.
Barnett, however, is her true woman. She sang the lyrics to 2018’s Tell Me how You Really Feel, stating that she would take her broken heart and make it art. It’s an expression that has served Barnett well.
Unable to tour in lockdown, Katie Melua posted acoustic performances online from her London home — a move that has prompted her to re-work her 2020 release, Album No. 8
Simpler is the new way. Smooth Spanish guitars have replaced the English Manner’s cinematic style.
Unable to tour in lockdown, Katie Melua posted acoustic performances online from her London home — a move that has prompted her to re-work her 2020 release, Album No. 8 with more intimacy. It was first performed with Leo Abrahams’ film composer and philharmonic Orchestra.
Melua’s original version, which was created as she was leaving James Toseland, a Superbike racer, was over. It used elegant, rich arrangements to break down her heartbreak. Airtime showed that she rejected romantic expectations about her love. The inspiration for Heading home and Leaving the Mountain came from her Georgian birthplace.
Simpler is the new way. Smooth Spanish guitar replaces the cinematic, windswept English Manner. Remind Me To Forget features Katie with violinist Simon Goff. While the album had personal heartbreak, it was not dispassionate. The original album felt raw.