The latest releases reviewed
WILLIE NELSON The Complete Atlantic Sessions Rhino ****
In the early 1970s, Willie Nelson was a 40-year-old country singer in crisis. His Nashville ranch had burnt down and it seemed his career wasn't far behind. America was changing and so was he, but not in a way that pleased the Nashville establishment. Legendary r'n'b producer Jerry Wexler heard Nelson and signed him to his Atlantic stable, where he recorded two studio albums and a live album before Atlantic closed the country division. Shotgun Willie and Phrases and Stages were signal albums, records not only important for the Texan but key moments in the evolution of the outlaw country genre. This excellent box set features those albums and a heap of mostly great outcuts. It also includes a concise introduction to the era, which helps contextualise the music. However, all you need to know is that this is Nelson in remarkable voice, emotionally engaged and at one of the peaks of a stellar career. www.rhino.com Joe Breen
GREG GRAFFIN Cold as the Clay Anti ***
Does inside the body of every rocker beat the heart of folk music? First Bruce Springsteen memorably rattled out Pete Seeger's back catalogue and now the leader of veteran American punk band Bad Religion gives us his take on some folk classics as well as offering a couple of tunes of his own. It's a well-meaning collection with Garffin's own tunes, such as the Richard Thompson-ish Rebel's Goodbye and his Springsteen-like opener Don't Be Afraid to Run, full of grit and grace in proper measure. The well-seasoned fare, such as the murder ballads Omie Wise and Little Sadie, is more predictable, but Graffin's album is respectful of old-timey tradition, possibly a little too much so. The folky settings could be spikier, but Dr Graffin's (he holds a PhD in evolutionary paleontology) own songs, lightly rocked up (such as the title track) are bang on the money. www.badreligion.com
Joe Breen
TONY REIDY A Rough Shot of Lipstick Claddagh Records ***
Like walking and chewing gum at the same time, singing and songwriting might look easy, but the truth is that musical creativity is as challenging as the fine arts of perambulation and mastication. In fact, good singer-songwriters are the ones who chew thoroughly before digesting and sharing them with the listener. Mayo's Tony Reidy's second album has been three years in gestation, and there's an attention to detail that hints at a task lovingly undertaken, under the watchful ear of producer Seamie O'Dowd. Reidy is at his most Dylanesque on God Knows, a cosmic "why so?" that's genteel and pensive. At times he flounders lyrically, leaning on uninspiring and repetitous observations (I'm a Mayo Man), but ultimately he savours tiny snapshots of a life lived well. www.tonyreidy.net Siobhán Long
BARRY KERR The World Looks Away No label ****
Fleet of foot, of fingers and of tongue, Belfast flute player, piper, singer and songwriter (and in his spare time, accomplished painter) Barry Kerr brings a remarkable maturity to a swathe of topical issues, not to mention showcasing an unhurried finesse on flute and pipes on The World Looks Away. The opening salvo, Guantanamo Bay, hints at a heavy handedness that never materialises, as his languid self-possession takes firm rein of political commentary and personal tales with equal ease. Pipes and flute dip and soar with avian elegance on the set of reels, Napper Quinn's, and flute again flourishes alongside Donncha Moynihan's guitar on Aoife's Lie In. Karan Casey (a longtime Kerr patron) lends suitably subdued backing vocals to further colour and shade what is a mighty fine calling card. www.barrykerr.com Siobhán Long
