Music reviews: Beyonce, Sonic Mayhem, Charles Bradley, Rokia Traore, Richard Clapton
Beyonce’s new album, Lemonade, is not sweet and it’s not soft but it is a work of art.
POP
Lemonade
Beyonce
Sony
4.5 stars
By the end of the first song, Pray You Catch Me, or at least the video version of it on this audiovisual onslaught from Beyonce, we are left in no doubt as to the brutal, sad, disturbing subject matter of the singer’s new project.
Infidelity and its consequences are at the heart of Lemonade, the surprise album Beyonce Carter sprung on us last weekend, which, like its self-titled predecessor in 2013, comes with a video component for each song — but this time with a narrative stream and themes such as Anger, Emptiness, Accountability and Redemption to hold the collective film together.
As such, Lemonade is a vehicle for a fine collection of songs and a visually stunning commentary on empowerment, black emancipation in the US and, yes, coming to terms with a cheating man.
On the surface, Beyonce’s hubby Jay Z appears the guilty party. “You can taste the dishonesty / It’s all over your breath,” is the opening line of that first song, and from there Beyonce digs deep, pouring out deeply emotional, often vitriolic lyrics and some of the best vocal performances of her career. Don’t Hurt Yourself, co-written by and featuring Jack White and a sample of Led Zeppelin’s When the Levee Breaks, is a case in point, a seriously funky outpouring of anger, where the wronged protagonist spits “Who the f. k do you think I is? You ain’t married to no average bitch, boy!” and “What a f..king curse” with such venom and bluesy, soulful swagger they punch you in the gut and in the heart. “If you do that shit again you’re gonna lose your wife” is sung with utter conviction.
Indeed, the first five songs here are relentless in their bruised and bruising frankness, but there is resolve amid the retribution. Hold Up, based around the classic riff from the Andy Williams hit Can’t Get Used to Losing You and featuring lines from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ Maps, is one such example. “What a wicked way to treat the girl who loves you,” Beyonce purrs, “I know I kept it sexy / I know I kept it fun / There’s something that I’m missing / maybe my head for one.”
On screen Beyonce, looking absolutely fabulous in a variety of settings and period costumes at every turn, works her way through the agony, smashing up cars with a baseball bat one minute, raising a middle finger with a bunch of gal pals, including Serena Williams, the next. Elsewhere there are guest appearances from The Weeknd (6 Inch), James Blake (piano ballad Forward) and Kendrick Lamar on a rampant march down the turbulent path of black female history in the US (Freedom).
Musically, Beyonce and her co-writers, of whom there are many, flit between polished nu-soul, funk and rock ‘n’ roll with a nice diversion into unfamiliar rootsy territory on Daddy Lessons, a sexy New Orleans stomp in which a young woman reminisces on a childhood ruled by her father’s faith in his shotgun and the Bible. Lemonade is musically rich, lyrically bold and visually compelling; a work of art by an artist who keeps pushing boundaries.
Iain Shedden
*
JAZZ
Live Mayhem
Sonic Mayhem Orchestra
Independent
3.5 stars
Sydney’s 14-piece Sonic Mayhem Orchestra, led by saxophonist James Ryan, is well known for its appearances at the Blue Beat music club during 2012 and then regular weekly gigs at Lazybones Lounge in Marrickville. This debut album was recorded across three years and features 28 musicians. There are five of Ryan’s originals and three standards, all arranged by the leader. As with many live recordings the sound quality varies and the percussion sometimes sounds muddy, but the standard of composition, arranging and performance is high. The opener, Frogs, features a series of solos, starting with Greg Coffin’s smartly crisp piano, then Aaron Michael’s racing tenor sax followed by the high-flying trumpet of Simon Ferenci and later a notable drum sequence by Nic Cecire, all complemented by co-operative ensemble work. Vocalist Trish Delaney-Brown appears on several tracks, including an able interpretation of Georgia, featuring Steve Brien’s poignant guitar and the robust trombone of Dave Panichi. Ryan’s only solo occurs on his original, Hey Which Way, where he opens with a blisteringly wild, unaccompanied baritone sax with honks, harmonics and a heavy riff. Soon he’s joined by Kim Lawson’s alto sax for a duo lift-off lasting about six minutes before the ensemble arrives to build to the conclusion. The mayhem of the group’s title appears throughout this powerful, at times raucous album, but that’s tempered with softer, calmer passages, all showcasing individual capabilities and Ryan’s masterly arrangements and compositions.
John McBeath
*
SOUL
Changes
Charles Bradley
Daptone Records
4 stars
As a man who endured long-term hardship prior to being discovered by Brooklyn’s Daptone Records and fashioning a career as the “screaming eagle of soul”, Charles Bradley has an interesting story to tell. It’s one told with aplomb — and liberal doses of funk — on Changes, the Florida native’s third album and follow-up to 2013’s Victim of Love. The soul revivalist leanings of Daptone are the perfect base for the 67-year-old to deliver his raspy retro soul jams. Aided by a wonderful band, Bradley alternates between tales of loss and love, opening with his take on Irving Berlin’s famed 1918 God Bless America, announcing over a church organ that the “brother that came from the hard licks of life” now knows America is his. It’s a nationalist sentiment that continues on Good to be Back Home, as Bradley checks his recent globetrotting, while drawing on his past life as a James Brown impersonator to deliver plenty of grunts on top of jazzy horns, guitar licks and fat drums. There’s a nice moodiness to Ain’t It a Sin as Bradley announces “it’s my turn to love and be loved” over the top of a bad-boy bassline. The ubiquitous horn section and guitars are finely balanced to ensure Bradley’s pipes, delivering lines such as, “If you ain’t gonna do me right, I might just do you in”, take centre stage. The album’s title track sees Bradley transform Black Sabbath’s original ballad into a soul-drenched ode that would make the English rockers proud. Balanced with emotive recounts of heartbreak are songs about love gained — and these are where Bradley shines brightest. Things We Do for Love is a sweet, upbeat affair notable for its backing vocals, while Crazy for Your Love and closer Slow Love are beautiful slow-burners demonstrating Bradley’s dynamic presence.
Tim McNamara
*
WORLD
Ne So
Rokia Traore
Nonesuch/Warner
4.5 stars
Radiating sophistication and stellar talent, singer-songwriter Rokia Traore stands out, even in a musical powerhouse such as Mali, which has produced more superstars than any other African country. Ne So follows in the footsteps of a joint collaboration between the gazelle-like diplomat’s daughter and American cultural figures, director Peter Sellars and Nobel and Pulitzer prize-winning author Toni Morrison, in Desdemona, a production based on Shakespeare’s Othello that received rave reviews at last year’s Sydney Festival. The assurance and experience Traore would have gained from that alliance is reflected in the range of expression and eclecticism exhibited in the multi-linguist’s sixth release. The album title, which equates to “home” in her native Bambara language, alludes to the artist’s vacillation between Europe and Africa and the migration crisis engulfing both continents. A backing crew that comprises pan-African instrumentalists and European and American musicians, including John Paul Jones, Devendra Banhart and Reggie Washington stresses the singer’s cosmopolitan approach. Traore runs a gamut of emotions and styles, from the softly sung Malian-rooted ballads Kolokani and Maye to an edgy part-spoken and sung title track (in English and French) and a cover of Billie Holiday’s anti-racism anthem Strange Fruit, in which her fractured English pronunciation and eerie, atmospheric electric guitar cadence accent the potency of the narrative. The singer’s smoky voice in French beguiles in the ballad Amour and soars in Bambara in more assertive Malian-infused mode in Obike, Ile and Kenia.
Tony Hillier
*
ROCK
The House of Orange
Richard Clapton
MGM
3.5 stars
The investment has paid off for fans who helped Aussie veteran Richard Clapton travel the well-worn path to Nashville through a crowd-funding campaign. The singer-songwriter’s 20th album is a finely textured, full-bodied collection of old and new songs featuring some great fretwork from Dan Dugmore on electric and steel guitar. Dugmore, who played with Jackson Browne, James Taylor and Linda Ronstadt, is one of four guitarists credited on the album, including long-time Clapton buddy and Aussie expat producer Mark Moffatt. Moffatt worked with Clapton on his early albums on Festival and was responsible for enticing him to Nashville. It proved a worthy experiment and Clapton’s decision to hone his style in the American music capital pays dividends as he launches into the bombastic opening bars of rocker Something About You. This is Clapton in fine form, as is Carry Me Home, co-written with daughter Saskia. The Nashville influence is strong, particularly on Shine a Light, but combines seamlessly with Clapton’s grittier style and poignant lyrics. There are occasional echoes of Warren Zevon and the Band, the latter most obviously on Keep Your Blue Eyes Open Wide. While reworked older songs Stepping Across the Line, Hearts on the Nightline, Real Life (is Stranger Than Fiction) and Some Sunny Day are refreshed and re-energised, one can’t help wondering what heights The House of Orange might have scaled if Clapton had gone for all-new material.
Steve Creedy
*
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