We interrupt our regular programming to launch an urgent appeal for your help. Over the weekend the world learnt that the much revered polymath Charity Chic has never heard anything by Robert Earl Keen. Your donations are desperately needed are rectify this truly appalling situation.
FurryBootsCityBoy has already got the ball rolling, and here is my small contribution to the cause. The first two tracks are from my favourite of Robert's albums, 1994's "Gringo Honeymoon", and the third from 2005's "What I Really Mean".
The first video featuring Joe Ely's excellent take on what may be The Bobster's best known song, then there's a couple from the man himself a handful of years apart.
A couple of excellent new albums to tip you off to today. Neither album is actually out yet, but the first singles from each are, and we have the videos for them below.
First up is Natalie Jane Hill's "Solely" which comes out in late October. Natalie is from Austin by way of the Blue Ridge Mountains and she has made a gorgeous little record, with a sound that sets off her voice and songs perfectly.
The nice man who sent the album to me compares her to early The Weather Station, but when I listen I hear something more like Jessica Pratt's first couple of records.
While you are waiting for "Solely" to become available, you can pick up "Azalea" - Natalie's first album - for a mere $7 on Bandcamp.
The second album to plug is called "Voices From The Empty Moor" which reworks songs performed by the great English folk singer Anne Briggs. The project is masterminded by bassist and arranger Devin Hoff and features a number of guests including Julia Holter and Sharon Van Etten. There is a ghostly, atmospheric feel that suits the songs very well.
The Julia Holter track is featured in the video below, the Sharon Van Etten track is on the free CD given away with the latest Uncut. Pick of the bunch for me is Shannon Lay's version of "Living By the Water", but you'll have to wait until the album comes out on 21 September to hear that. You can preorder it on Bandcamp now though.
In the meantime here is Anne Briggs' original version and a track from Shannon's excellent 2017 album called - no coincidence surely? - "Living Water". You can get that on Bandcamp too.
As promised on Monday, we have some more Joni Haastrup magic for you. Today we are featuring his 1978 solo album "Wake Up Your Mind", available for the knockdown price of $5 on Bandcamp.
In keeping with the times, it has much more of a funk and disco feel than his earlier work with MonoMono (including some excellent Silver Convention style backing vocals on "Do The Funkro").
Of course, Joni was by no means the only artist jumping on the disco bandwagon in those days.
In what can only be described in an abrupt change of tone, let's take this opportunity to pay tribute to a member of another famous singing siblings act who sadly left us a few days ago. RIP Don Everly.
Today's post is the first of two featuring the work of Joni Haastrup, one of the unsung heroes of the Nigerian afro-rock and funk scene of the 1970s and a man who in his time has played with the likes of Fela Kuti and Ginger Baker.
On Wednesday we'll feature his 1978 solo album "Wake Up Your Mind", but first we have "Give The Beggar A Chance", the album he made in 1971 as the lead singer and keyboard player with MonoMono - not just because it came first chronologically but because "MonoMono Monday" works better as a title than "MonoMono Wednesday".
As well as being a fine piece of music, the title track of the album poses one of the great philosophical questions of our time: "What do you want from a leper who ain't got no hands to scratch his butt?".
Interesting fact: A few years after it was released, Mickie Most tried to buy the rights to "Kenimania" so he could rework it as the first single for a new band he was trying to promote as rivals to the Bay City Rollers. Joni wouldn't play ball, so Mickie had to use this instead:
I recently acquired "Remains of Anatolia", a sampler album released in 2000 by Kalan, a Turkish record label. The label is still going strong, but the same may not be true for all of the 16 artists that are featured on the album.
As with most samplers it is a bit of a mixed bag, but here are a couple of personal favourites. The Ulaş Özdemir track has a distinct Incredible String Band feel to it (well it does to me anyway).
Sticking with Turkish tunes here's Derya Yildirim & Grup Simşek, whose excellent new album "DOST 1" came out in June. You can snap it up for just €7 on Bandcamp. I have. I've also booked my tickets to go and see them live later in the year.
Links stay up for a month or so. If you are an artist or copyright holder and want me to remove the link, or if you want to get in touch for any other reason, e-mail me on leggies27@hotmail.co.uk.
