City Of Sound

July '97

No Kilt Tonight

Au Quebec

GOWAN
SOLO LIVE - NO KILT TONIGHT
ALGAE LG 10001-2 (CANADA 1997)
6

AU QUEBEC
GOWAN PRODUCTIONS / SELECT GPCD-1110, (CANADA 1997)
7

These two live albums feature Larry Gowan by himself with just his keyboard or guitar playing some his best songs. 'No Kilt Tonight' features a couple of covers and 'Au Quebec' features his latest single 'Pour Un Instant' but the main attraction and highlight is Larry's rapport with the very enthusiastic audiences on the old numbers. There are not many people, when taken out of a band situation, who can hold the attention for any amount of time in this sort of manner, former It Bites man Francis Dunnery does it and Gowan excels as well. The songs are kept fresh and interesting with 'You're A Strange Animal', 'Guerrilla Soldier', 'Moonlight Desires' and 'Dancing On My Own Ground' among the standouts. Both CDs are well worth getting hold of.
Contact:
http://cadvision.com/Home_pages/accounts/baierm/gowan.htm

Emanuel's Secret

CLAUDIA SCOTT
EMANUEL'S SECRET
NORSKE GRAM AS EKG CD72, (NORWAY 1997)
7

Moody, laid back and ethereal with bags of atmospherics, are the main descriptions which come to mind while listening to Claudia Scott's debut album. 'The Belle Of Singapore' is a prime example, relying on Claudia's strong Sarah McLachlan-esque vocals and the moody guitar lines of Jorn Raknes. 'Before The Eyes Of God' picks up the pace with more great work from Raknes within a more straightforward song. These two pretty much set the standard for the remainder of the album, so if you like quirky female singers (McLachlan, Mai Britt Normann etc) with the addition of some excellent guitar work this is as good a place to look as anywhere.

Treat Me Fair

TINA STENBERG
TREAT ME FAIR
UNIVERSAL MUSIC AB UMD-87109, (SWEDEN 1997)
6

On the surface this seems like a Swedish answer to Sheryl Crow, with lots of acoustic mid west/roots style numbers but Tina Stenberg gets my vote for adding her own little idiosyncrasies. Top numbers include the moody and fragile 'In Your Eyes' and 'An Awful Dream', the upbeat 'I Need You' with its cool riff and organ and the admittedly Crow-esque 'You Lift Me High'. Other songs include strings and the odd country and blues influence. A good debut.

Standing On The Bridge

GAIL SWANSON
STANDING ON THE BRIDGE
MLP963, (USA 1996)
4

Gail Swanson creates some interesting moments on her debut CD. The title track is a decent acoustic based number, with mid west rock influences and an unexpected trace of a Francis Dunnery melody that kept striking me at times. 'You're A Man' is more acoustic based and features Gail's flute playing. 'Pulling Me Under' has some nice lead breaks throughout its course. The acoustic guitar based 'Reach For Me' is rather bland and 'Hero To Zero' has something of a country twang that leave me cold. Of the covers The Beatles 'Oh Darling' is plain boring blues, there are many better Beatles songs out there than this dirge. Gail sounds more comfortable on Jethro Tull's classic 'Locomotive Breath', where she gets plenty of opportunity to recreate those Ian Anderson poses. The Rolling Stones 'Sympathy Fot The Devil' works well, although I'm not really familiar with the original and benefits from Gails more passionate vocals. Gail has a decent enough voice but apart form on 'Locomotive Breath' and 'Sympathy...' she doesn't seem to stretch herself far enough.
Contact:
http://www.maui.net/~rockchic

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Peter Sims
Last update 6th July 1997
Created 6th July 1997 © Peter Sims