The music speaks for itself on this latest compilation from Atomicat, despite its relevance in name only to the current political debate surrounding the UK and rest of Europe. Charging in on a riotous romp of twenty-four tracks comes ‘Goanna Make It Alone – Brexit Rockers’, which is a record for the times; that being the topsy-turvy political climate of the UK and whether to officially leave the EU or remain a full member. As complex and quite frankly baffling the whole process to date has been, not to mention where the past two years has gone, one record label’s decision to express its opinion on this whole, and quite frankly, baffling affair is not only their right but the manner in which ‘Goanna Make It Alone – Brexit Rockers’ conducts itself by throwing a party rather than being a political vehicle. There is not an ounce of political motivation between the rock ‘n’ roll sides of this compilation, more a loose association of track names and lyrics to the current fiasco between the UK / Brussels and Co. So, if you can imagine for one moment Brexit is set out in five stages where the starting post begins via the snappy rhythm of Billy Fury’s ‘Gonna Type A Letter’, complete with the nostalgic sound of the now obsolete typewriter (UK to EU), to the hillbilly yarn of ‘Don’t Push Me Too Far’ from the always reliable Skeets McDonald (EU in reply to the UK), to country-weepy  ‘We’re Talking It Over’ By Faron Young (50 – 50 EU / UK debate), and then final breakdown where we’re informed by  ‘Lies Lies Lies’ (Norman Bullock) before eventually landing rock bottom and ‘Singing The Blues’ with Tommy Steele for company. In fact, there’s so much scope here to devise your own five phases of the Brexit process, which really can take a stinging turn if you like your rock ‘n’ roll on the wild side à la Jackie Lee Cochran (‘Pity Me’), Screamin’ Jay Hawkins (‘There’s Something Wrong With You’) and (it’s in there if you listen closely) George Jones’ superb ‘No Money In This Deal’. It’s a cleverly thought out compilation where song lyrics can be associated with the situation that is Brexit without mentioning politics or having any direct correlations. Therefore, ‘Gonna Make It Alone – Brexit Rockers’ is a very special album for a period that will go down in history forever once this whole affair draws itself to a conclusion. Thankfully, it’s the rock ‘n’ roll music that speaks volumes here and will remain the only winner whatever the eventual outcome at the end of this month. But, to borrow Bill Swing’s song title, it sure is ‘Messed Up’ depending on which side of the political fence one sits of course.

The theme of this compilation album of known and lesser known rhythm and blues performers appears to focus on the notion of the blues making itself known whether you’re in relationship or without a relationship. Those suffering from such symptoms can comfort themselves a little once it is known that the blues expressed here started a long, long time ago, in fact, from the beginning of time according to the scribblings of Little Victor“…the eternal LOVE-HATE relationship between men and women that started with Adam and Eve at the Garden of Eden…” But rest assured dear listeners as the songs contained within are full of upbeat rhythms and built for those who like to shake their limbs across the (fifties) dancefloors. ‘Don’t Mess With Me Baby’ is packed with a lively set of songs that opens confidently via the instructions of Bull Moose Jackson and ‘Watch My Signals’, to wild and often sax-driven tracks as ‘She Walked In’ (Morris Pejoe) and Rufus Brown with ‘Keep A Knockin’. With full accompaniment of instruments supporting many of the contents of ‘Don’t Mess With Me, Baby’, the songs listed have certainly moved on from their earlier and more primitive foundations. This is largely noticeable from the fuller sounds as mentioned, but also for the charismatic turns in vocal performances that range in styles where confidence is on full display despite lyrics of despair (i.e. King Perry with ‘Come Back Baby’) to other moments that reveal vocal turns that contain shades of light and dark and superbly demonstrated by Larry Ellison & The Mark IV (‘Young Girls’). So, if you’re suffering from a bout of the blues, then ‘Don’t Mess With Me, Baby’ is the perfect place to find a remedy.

A well-dressed turnout from the latest CD in the blues, and rhythm and blues series from Koko Mojo with ‘Dapper Dan’. A mouth-watering twenty-eight tracks present themselves from a longline of artists who get one shot at this, and one shot only to present their best sides. And succeed they most certainly do! From the charismatic double coupling of vocals from Eddie Johnson & Edna Mc Raney with ‘Back Up’, to follow-on ‘No Deposit, No Return’ presenting its message clearly via Martha Davis’ strong vocals that are tied to a tidy, finger-clicking rhythm that hints at jazz influences. There’s similar power in abundance when it comes to Little Miss Jessie & Benny Sharp Orchestra, only the volume ratchets skywards with vocals raw and rattling and set to a shifting tempo of rhythm and blues. As with other volumes, ‘Dapper Dan’ shines brightly due its variety of performances, but also for reviving a sense of history where you can visualise the dusty, smoke-filled environments of bars, dance clubs  and recording studios long since departed, yet brought to life here via tracks such as ‘Poppa Stoppa’ from Thelma Baxter and ‘Get With It’ by Pearl Galloway. With all that said, the most pleasing aspect of ‘Dapper Dan’ is its decision to focus predominantly on female artists, which is a definite positive and makes for interesting listening once the occasional male vocalists are introduced, especially during ‘Brand New Man’ that will raise much debate if you’re paying close attention. ‘Dapper Dan’ is an intelligent and sophisticated compilation where the female vocalists of a bygone era truly showed their worth that still resonates strongly today.

Defined as a troubadour, screenwriter, film director and, in this instance, singer-songwriter, Rafa Russo marks a return to the music scene with his latest album ‘This Strange Place’. With a lengthy history behind him, Rafa Russo has seen a career take him from his home of Madrid to New York and London and, along this journey, receive rave reviews from the likes of NME, airplay on BBC Radio One and tours supporting Tori Amos, John Martyn, Melissa Etheridge and Zucchero. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that latest album ‘This Strange Place’ is packed full of intricate details both musically and lyrically that will require patience because, as the well-worn phrase goes, this long player is a grower. With each listen there are new details and delights creeping to the surface (clearly expressed by album closer ‘Where Do You Go’), often undersold due to the subtle manner of Rafa Russo’s vocals and delicate instrumentation. It will draw you in and retain your attention without any hesitation as songs ache with sadness and tug at the heartstrings (‘On The Side’). The album appears to be something of a crossroads for Rafa Russo where the title of this record (interestingly and refreshingly no track of the same name) suggests unfamiliarity where optimism can be found in the likes of ‘Beautiful Stranger’, ‘Summertime’ and ‘Something Like Home’, but also emptiness (‘The Beginning Of The End’, ‘Grey’ and ‘Empty Chair’). ‘This Strange Place’ finds Rafa Russo without a definite answer to the problems encased here, but it also suggests that soon there will be a parting of the ways that will lead to more familiar territory that will soon begin to feel like home. It’s a thoroughly compelling listen and deserved of very high praise and likely to still be talked about come the end of year album polls. ‘This Strange Place’ is its name, and one that you will not forget.

Nature plays a big part when structuring the ambient soundscapes during latest album by Japanese artist Kenji Kihara. Residing in a part of Japan known as Hayama, which is surrounded by nature consisting of much costal beauty in addition to mountainous ranges, the music conjured here is often warm and filled with much light as expressed by ‘Nostalgic Wind’ that provides a feeling of much optimism for the past as well as leading into the future. Such ideas and feelings expressed continue, and pause for a moment, once ‘Light In The Sea’ comes in to view, yet its ambient sounds remain subtle and continue to filter and shine during the following ‘Warm Haze’. The sense of optimism almost reaches for the stars once ‘Cosmos’ begins and rolls out an electronic carpet of beats and pulses that almost steps out from the boundaries of ambient as one can imagine vocals being applied here, such is the tighter, fuller construction of the composition. Clearly, Kenji Kihara is a musician inspired by his homestead as his musical compositions are filled with much beauty and wonder as the album ‘Dawn’ clearly demonstrates and will have no difficulties communicating to the rest of the world.

Nigel Stonier possess a work ethic that is to be admired when considering his background of producer, multi-instrumentalist, co-writer and singer-songwriter. It would seem, therefore, that a moment of rest is simply a function that never applies to Nigel Stonier having built up a considerable CV working with the likes of Thea Gilmore, The Waterboys, Joan Baez, Martha Wainwright, Fairport Convention to name a few whether serving as producer, collaborator or lending a hand when a certain musical instrument was required to help fill in the missing pieces of an album in progress. The hard work continues apace in 2019 with the release of ‘Navigate’; a self-penned album made up of ten tracks and co-produced with Seadna McPhail at Airtight Studios, Manchester. With ‘Navigate’ pitched as a solo record, additional help arrives from the side-lines with a variety of musicians including the previously mentioned Thea Gilmore assisting on vocals. The song titles of Nigel Stonier’s latest album drops hints to current political and social unrest, not to mention apathy from some corners, with the opening duo of ‘Bad Dancers of A Certain Age’ and title-track ’Navigate’ picking at the seams of recent history and associating this with various ills occurring today. The opening bow of songs leans towards indie with the nagging yet welcome reference of Ian Broudie’s The Lightning Seeds constantly springing to mind, and largely due to both parties possessing a clever knack of crafting songs that sound upbeat yet further investigation reveals lyrics of a darker nature, but not forgetting the dry humour as well, with the catchy ‘What Could Possibly Go Wrong’ one such example. That is precisely where Nigel Stonier finds himself during ‘Navigate’ because despite wrestling with numerous problems, there is hope of a positive outcome, it’s just a matter of trying to find a way of sailing though the troubles in order to reach the other side. Such relief can be found via ‘When It Gets Cold’, ‘The Strange Untried’ and ‘Me With You’ mainly due to the tender sides of these folk compositions offering any sense of comfort. Seemingly never one in need of motivation, Nigel Stonier’s persistence and hard work looks to be paying off as ‘Navigate’ is a clever record that chews over current events as well as looking inwards to personal experiences, in an attempt to make sense of the sea of confusion many of us find ourselves in.