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PLAYING OUT LOUD!
REVIEWS
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Reviews
Gig Reviews
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GENO WASHINGTON & THE RAM JAM BAND. The
Brook – Friday 24th October
 Geno
Washington has always been something of a slight oddity. Despite having no
massive hits to his name, he is still someone who many 60s soul disciples have
plenty of affection for and, judging by tonight’s small but enthusiastic crowd,
believe in.
The current Ram Jam Band line up opened with a couple of instrumentals before
the man himself took to the stage wearing a huge smile. His enthusiasm and
energy for what he does was clear for all to see. He has a larger than life
personality, bags of charisma, huge stage presence and still has a voice that
any contestant on X Factor would kill for. It was impossible to take your eyes
off of the man.
Stomping through live favourites such as “Knock On Wood”, “Gloria” along with
his most famous song, “Michael (The Lover)”, Geno was having as much fun as the
crowd. Geno’s appreciation for and banter with his audience between the songs
only helped the atmosphere and when he came back on stage for the encore to
football terrace style chants of “Geno! Geno!”, you were left in no doubt at all
that that appreciation and respect was very much a two way thing. Long live
soul, long live Geno……. Review by Paul Lane
MARVA WHITNEY & OSAKA MONAURAIL. The Soul Cellar –
Thursday 30th October
 Lots
of excitement surrounded this meeting between American soul royalty and the
worlds tightest funk orchestra.
Japanese funksters Osaka Monaurail celebrated their 15th anniversary last year
and, by rights, should be huge. Band leader and vocalist Nakata Ryo is the
liveliest, coolest and most charismatic frontman you could hope to see whilst
the band themselves are almost impossibly tight at times. A lively crowd lapped
up numbers like “Quicksand” before Soulsister #1 herself, Marva Whitney, came on
stage.
“Marvellous Marva” sang 4 songs with the band before disappearing again and,
despite proving that she clearly still has a fantastic voice, her appearance and
need to talk to the audience whilst the band played quietly in the background,
somewhat dampened the energy and atmosphere of the crowd.
Somewhat bizarrely, once she left the stage and we were left in the capable
hands of Ryo again, the atmosphere took off! Ryo involved the crowd at every
opportunity and was revelling in the feelgood vibes. Standing still whilst
watching this band is a near on impossibility!
Marva Whitney came back on stage to sing two songs from her classic “It’s My
Thing” album and thankfully stuck to showing off that wonderful voice of hers
this time! It was a great end to what was, overall, a fantastic evening.
Review by Paul Lane
CD Album Reviews
(top)
Rising Up by Honey Ryder
 Debut
album from London-based duo Martyn Shone and Lindsay O'Mahony which promises
much but ultimately delivers little. There are frustrating glimpses of what can
be achieved: Fly Away is still a classy single and opens the album in fine
style, while Numb is the kind of dark slant on the classic love song which
brings to mind the Sneaker Pimps at their best. But once you reach Track 3
you've basically heard the best of it.
Rising Up was mixed by Brad Gilderman, known for his work with Madonna, and
there is more than a touch of the soon-to-be ex-Mrs Richie on ballads like
Dignified and the rather over-orchestrated Choices, but too often the album
strays a little too near good old pop slush as on Freeze and the closing
Unconditional Love, both of which are frankly more Girls Aloud than Garbage.
More than anything Rising Up demonstrates that the right production team might
make poor songs sound OK, but will never be able to make them sound great, and I
regret to say that, in the final analysis, the songs here are simply not strong
enough to make an album worth shelling out for. CD review
by Martin Sarl
CD Single Reviews
(top)
BY MARTIN SIRL
Calling All Killers by Silversky
Impressive offering from much-hyped bunch of up and coming rockers. Calling All
Killers is a heads down, no nonsense, steak and kidney pie of a song which bangs
along joyfully and is pretty much impossible to listen to without some
involuntary movement of some part of your anatomy. We Should Be Dead has echoes
of The Smiths in its lyrical content (contrast and compare with There Is A Light
That Never Goes Out) though lacking some of Morrissey and Marr's musical
subtlety, while Bare is just throwaway indie-rock and a slightly flat end to
what is actually a fairly promising EP.
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