Gretchen Parlato fits the bill in The Ice Siren.
SONG CYCLE
John Ellis & Andy Bragen
THE ICE SIREN (Parade Light)
★★★★½
"Red roses turn to black. It's strange how fast they die," sings Miles Thomas as the protagonist in this modern-day variant on Orpheus and Euridice, the sheer audacity of which is as exhilarating as the music is often chilling. For five years the man has been visiting the crypt of his beloved Melusina (Gretchen Parlato), and gradually he is drawn deeper inside until he encounters her ghost and becomes trapped for an icy eternity. Composer John Ellis and librettist Andy Bragen's song cycle, scored for two voices, string quartet and an eccentric quintet of improvising players (including Ellis's own horns), swiftly grips you both narratively and musically, and doesn’t loosen its hold for the next hour. Thomas' slightly reedy voice might not be the most aesthetically attractive instrument, but few singers could have met the melodic challenges that Ellis lays out while also realising the role's tragic yearning so completely. Parlato is indeed siren-like in her otherworldly songs, and the music reflects a boundless imagination as it slides through the walls between chamber music, opera, jazz and even flashes of soul. A triumphant creation. JOHN SHAND
FOLK-ROCK
Emma Swift
BLONDE ON THE TRACKS (Tiny Ghost)
★★★½
The world by now, surely, does not need any more covers of Bob Dylan songs (the enigmatic bard himself might even agree). However, Nashville-based Australian singer Emma Swift has several weapons in her arsenal that make Blonde on the Tracks, made up of eight Dylan covers, an entrancing listen. One of these is her distinctive voice, which is somewhere between the country trill of Emmylou Harris and the primal force of Martha Wainwright. She is also aided by the unobtrusive production of Wilco’s Pat Sansone, and guitar from her partner, the great British singer-songwriter, Robyn Hitchcock. Many of the best Dylan covers in the pop canon, going back to the Byrds and Manfred Mann, rely on coaxing a new, often catchier, melodic and rhythmic character from the original – and Swift has done this beautifully with One of Us Must Know (Sooner or Later) among others. Although late-period Dylan is solely represented by a faithful rendering of I Contain Multitudes, Swift’s song choice is imaginative and her delivery is soulful on this tender tribute to the ubiquitous, and multitudinous, giant of song. BARNABY SMITH
AFRICAN
Groupe RTD
THE DANCING DEVILS OF DJIBOUTI (Ostinato)
★★★★
Recordings of modern music from Djibouti are rare. This small country, linguistically and culturally interconnected with Somalia and Ethiopia, survives by hosting French and US military bases. Promoting local artists isn’t high on the agenda, so the very release of this uninhibited, rollicking party of an album is significant. The house band of Djibouti’s national broadcaster, Groupe RTD’s daily function is much like any "tonight show" band: backing guest stars in all styles. On this live album the musicians sound manifestly overjoyed to have their moment centre-stage. Opening with Asma Omar’s raw, Indian-influenced vocals, the band moves into deep pentatonic reggae, but more like iconic Sudanese Nubian singer Mohammed Wardi than anyone from Jamaica, with metallic Yemeni percussion, gravelly Ethiopian sax, rock guitar riffs and Somali funk grooves. Thereafter the energy never lets up, apart from a mellow half-time interlude that sounds like schmaltzy Ethiopian restaurant music (in a good way), culminating with an intensely percussive Arabian chanted coda, by when the sun must have been rising. EUGENE ULMAN
FOLK
Luka Bloom
BITTERSWEET CRIMSON (lukabloom.com)
★★★★
At his best (and he’s in top form on this album), Luka Bloom is the equal of his legendary folkie brother, Christy Moore. Listen to the gloriously evocative The Beauty of Everyday Things and marvel at how a voice suffused with honesty and sincerity can turn a celebration of “everyday things” into a deeply moving experience. Equally, the remarkable My Old Friend the Oak Tree is so powerful and perfectly delivered that it becomes almost visceral. This understated message about climate change and the need to love and celebrate the ancient beauty of nature really makes you want to leap up and embrace a tree. Bloom has been performing for more than 30 years (he’s toured Australia 13 times) and yet, because he is living in and feeding off Ireland’s rich musical landscape, he still sounds as fresh and passionate as if he picked up a guitar and started writing songs yesterday. Every piece confirms there's no substitute for absorbing the richness of a vibrant musical culture. Long after he revealed his rare talents with The Acoustic Motorbike back in 1991, here's a demonstration of his enduring relevance as a great Irish troubadour. BRUCE ELDER
John Shand has written about music and theatre since 1981 in more than 30 publications, including for Fairfax Media since 1993. He is also a playwright, author, poet, librettist, drummer and winner of the 2017 Walkley Arts Journalism Award
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