Bruce Woolley & The Camera Club - The Definitive Anthology 1977-1981

Raised by a father who was a Dixieland clarinetist that introduced him to a variety of musical styles, Bruce Woolley formed his first rock band in his late teens.  After playing around with jazz rock, he started writing songs with three and four chords.  He was also doing manual labor in a tarmac gang at this time, and thanks to his boss, a former singer, he started playing the working men’s club scene in Leicester before joining Ivor Kenney’s Dance Band.  He started recording demos of the songs he was writing and in 1976 he moved to London and got hired as a songwriter for the publishing and production company Everblue Music.  Trevor Horn became the in-house producer there and when Everblue folded they wrote some songs together including “Clean Clean” and “Video Killed The Radio Star”.  Not long after the demos were recorded, the two parted ways due to their desires to move in different directions musically.  Bruce decided he wanted to form a band and the first on board was Dave Birch who had been playing guitar in The Vibrators.  He brought in drummer Richard Wernham (aka Ricky Slaughter) from The Motors, who also brought along his girlfriend bassist Marion Fudger.  Last on board was Thomas Dolby on keys.  When it came time to record their debut album, producer Mike Hurst said they should replace Fudger.  They let her go, which also led to the departure of Wernham, since he was her boyfriend.  They were replaced by Matthew Seligman and Rod Johnson, and that lineup recorded the hugely underappreciated English Garden album.  Not long after the album’s release, Seligman left the band and was replaced by Nigel Ross-Scott (he plays on the live show at My Father’s Place included here).  Dolby also ended up leaving the band after Johnson tried to strangle him after a fight over the window seat on a plane trip, an event that also resulted in Johnson getting kicked out of the band.  They were replaced by Nigel Glockler, later of Saxon, and Simon House who had played with Hawkwind and Bowie.  This new lineup went into the studio with producer John Wood and recorded their sophomore release.  It was more of a rock record, but unfortunately the label wouldn’t release the album and were also reluctant to have them go back in the studio, so the band ended up disbanding a short time later.  The Definitive Anthology 1977-1981 is a fantastic new three CD box set that includes an expanded version of the English Garden album, the unreleased second album, two live concerts, b-sides, demos and much more.  It's an absolute treasure trove with forty-one of the sixty-nine tracks previously unreleased.   

Mixing new wave and power pop with rock and glam, English Garden, which opens disc one, is an outstanding collection, that while largely praised by the critics, didn’t get the recognition it deserved.  The album kicks off with the bouncy new wave title track with its early synth blips from Dolby, followed by their take on “Video Killed The Radio Star”, which is similar to The Buggles’ version, but meatier and with less synths. “Dancing With The Sporting Boys” is a laid-back, kind of loping tune with a bit of a bounce that really showcases Woolley’s vocals, while “Johnny” (another Trevor Horn co-write) is a fast-paced, new wave track with a sixties feel (complete with handclaps), and “No Surrender” adds some Bowie-like glam to the mix.  Although the band says “Flying Man” was inspired by The Dave Clark Five’s “Glad All Over”, it has been pointed out that this hyper track sounds a lot like The Rezillos’ cover of that song.  Following the fast-paced pop of “You Got Class” and the short instrumental “WW9” is “Clean Clean”, the second track also recorded by The Buggles, which here has more of a new wave sound with a rock edge.  The somewhat laid-back “Get Away William” is up next and then it’s “Goodbye To Yesterday”, a really strong track with a driving beat and thumping bass that brings to mind Magazine, and “Goodbye To Yesterday (Reprise)”, a punkier take on the song.  Closing out the album is “You’re The Circus (I’m The Clown)”, a super catchy tune with a rock / new wave sound, a chorus full of power pop hooks and some great synth work from Dolby.  Disc one is rounded out with twelve bonus tracks, starting with “News”, an extremely catchy new wave song that was recorded during the English Garden sessions, but surprisingly left off the album.  Next up are a couple of early cuts released as The Killers.  This version of “No Surrender” is slower with less new wave and more glam, and is complemented with some cello, and “Killer On The Dancefloor” is fun, upbeat synthpop.  The next three cuts are album tracks that were rerecorded for the US.  “Clean Clean” is faster and more intense, “Video Killed The Radio Star” sounds a lot closer to The Buggles version and “Goodbye To Yesterday” is more synth heavy and slower giving it a bit of a new romantic feel.  The pre-Camera Club single “Bobby Bad” is a quirky pop ditty with a hint of Sparks, with another version of “You’re The Circus (I’m The Clown)” on the flipside.  This version is similar to the one on the album, but a little less rock and features Dave Birch on guitar, Geoff Downes on keys and Trevor Horn on bass.  Another pre-band track is the demo of “You Got Class”, which is edgier and more rock than the album, and to me a better version.  The final three songs on disc one were co-written and recorded with Horn and Rod Thompson for the punk rock musical Killer On The Dancefloor, which was actually performed at the Leicester Phoenix Theatre in the Summer of 1980.  “Going to The City” is a bouncy, kind of angular and punky new wave track and “Needletime” is very Bowie-ish rock opera glam.  Lastly is the outstanding “Sugar Daddy”, a rock opera sounding ballad comprised mainly of piano, vocals and drums.     

Disc two opens with the tracks that would have comprised their second release, Snapshots of Sound, which veers away from the new wave sound a bit, moving in more of a rock direction, as evidenced by the catchy, straight-ahead opener “I Set Fire To You”.  Released as a promo single, but never actually released, “Ghost Train” is an extremely strong track that’s a slower, darker new romantic song.  “Killer On The Dancefloor” is back again and this time is super infectious synth rock with punk energy.  Catchy, but not as straightforward, with angular guitars and a stabbing beat, “Trouble Is” was released as a single by CBS right before the band were dropped.  The hypnotic “Only Babies Can Fly” is a pretty, laid-back tune while “All Real Americans” is another super catchy, upbeat synth rocker.  With Simon House playing some beautiful syths and Solina String Machine, “Morning Shadows” is a very dreamy and hypnotic track.  Up next is another great version of “Ghost Train”, which is similar to the earlier one, but with synths that are a little dreamier.  Closing out the planned album tracks are the quirky rocker “All At Once” (flipside to the “Trouble” single) and “Warning Shadows”.  Eleven more bonus tracks, mostly previously unreleased, complete disc two, starting with his post Camera Club solo single “Blue Blue Victoria”.  Produced by Mike Howlett, who had just worked with OMD, it’s a catchy, upbeat pop tune with a lot of piano and synths that really show his influence.  The flipside is “1000 MPH”, a manic, fast-paced synth rocker.  A couple more solo tracks follow with the high energy new wave of “The Black Girls Understand” and a club mix of “Ghost Train”.  Following “How Do You Say Goodbye?”, another upbeat, hook-heavy, new wave tune are a handful of demos including “Too Late For Tears”, a bouncy track that’s a little on the quirky side with a bit of a dance beat and brief moments that bring to mind The Cars.  The demo of “Blue Blue Victoria” is more rock oriented with plenty of pop hooks but missing that Howlett influence of the single.  “You Got Class” is an earlier demo from 1975 that is a lot slower than the album version, but with an catchy beat, and “News” sounds a lot like the one on the album, but with some differences in the instrumentation.  The last two tracks are a couple of real standouts.  “House of Wax” is a rocker with all the elements of an eighties hit.  As you listen to it you can envision an early MTV video in your head, and it’s hard to understand why it was never released (Richard Thompson plays cimbalon on this track).  Lastly is “Radio Pictures (Bye Bye Love)”, a big sounding, yet dreamy and somewhat melancholy track that sounds very little like what they had done before but was instead reminiscent of the bands that were on the horizon at that time.

Rounding out the box set on disc three are a couple of great sounding live sets.  The first is from May 6, 1979 from a show supporting XTC at High Wycombe Town Hall, that was recorded from the sound desk by XTC’s sound engineer.  In addition to Woolley, the band for this show consisted of Birch, Dolby, Wernham and Fudger, the original pre-album lineup.  The performance is very high energy and at times even a little ragged, giving great insight to the very early days of the band.  The second was recorded on March 25, 1980 by WLIR Radio at My Father’s Place in Roslyn, New York.  Since it was recorded for a radio show, the recording itself is of course the better of the two and while the performance itself is again high energy (Woolley says of the show in the liner notes - “we perform the album at breakneck speed”) they sound tighter this time around.  Both shows make for an outstanding addition to an already stellar box set.  Also included is an extremely detailed booklet giving a history of the band, including quotes from Woolley, Birch and Dolby and song by song notes from Woolley.  The Definitive Anthology 1977-1981 is absolutely one of the best box sets I've come across in awhile and can't be recommended enough. 

(Cherry Red Records)

Semihelix - Deeper Space in Time / Tin Blvd single

With a full-length release tentatively scheduled for late 2025, Austin three-piece Semihelix is back with their latest single.  "Deeper Space In Time" starts of with an infectious meshing of jangly guitar pop and driving riot grrrl punk and builds and builds in intensity before settling into a slower, more melancholy groove.  At first, the flipside "Tin Blvd" has more of the jangle rock guitar but with a bit of a Pixies feel, but evolves into a very taut and tense, fast paced song that becomes almost manic, but still with a sense of melody.  This is another great single that really has me looking forward to the upcoming album.

(Semihelix - Bandcamp)

BLOKE - Living Without Expectations 

Originally from London and now based in Berlin, BLOKE, is an impressive new band led by German artist Jakob Buraczewski on vocals and guitar, and rounded out with Michelangelo Lamattina (guitar), Alex Kozmidi (bass), Michael Drummer (drums) and Martijn Smits (synthesizer, backing vocals. percussion).  Making their debut with two singles, they have now released the EP, Living Without Expectations.  It is an outstanding collection of songs that are often hypnotic, yet raw, noisy and experimental at the same time.  With its driving percussion, wall of guitars and heavy psychedelia, “Money Says” gets things going and to me is somewhat reminiscent of Love and Rockets’ “Mirror People”.  “Never Try” is a bit of a darker track, opening with a thumping bass and then shifting into droning psychedelia a la Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and The Jesus and Mary Chain.  Thanks largely to the bass, “Up Tight” finds them moving back in a more upbeat direction, while still maintaining a noisy guitar driven drone. Love and Rockets comes to mind again a little on “So Do I”, which ups the psychedelia with swirling guitars and a slow, mesmerizing groove that draws you in.  While that song shows a more diverse side to the band, the closing track “Tomorrow” displays even more.  It’s more melancholy than the rest of the EP with guitars that at times have a psychedelic spaghetti western feel and even a little harmonica.  A highly recommended listen and a band to definitely keep an eye on.  

(Tonzonen Records)

 

The Dickies - The Incredible Shrinking Dickies

Originally released in 1979, The Incredible Shrinking Dickies was the debut release from California punk band The Dickies.  Now, thanks to Captain Oi! Records, it has been reissued on both CD and red vinyl, along with six bonus tracks originally released on 7-inch singles.  In just over twenty-seven minutes, with only one song over three minutes, the original album contains thirteen tracks that are largely fast-paced punk, often bringing to mind The Ramones, full of pop hooks, occasional sound effects and noises, and an almost ever-present sense of humor.  Having said that, almost every tune has some other element added that adds to the uniqueness of their sound.  Tracks like “Give It Back” and the bonus track “I’m OK You’re OK” have some ragged piano that give the songs a garage rock vibe.  “Walk Like An Egg” starts out slow and psychedelic with echoey guitars, before exploding into an all-out punk tune, and along with “Poodle Party”, which includes frontman Leonard Graves Phillips growling and barking like a dog, mixes in a bit of a fifties rock beat.  The addition of sax from the band’s multi-instrumentalist Chuck Wagon (complete with a little bit of The Champs’ “Tequila”), takes the more straight-ahead “Shadow Man” and gives it a fresh twist.  While “Waterslide” is a super catchy track that’s closer to pop punk (including what sounds like old school video game blips), “Shake & Bake” is good, straight-ahead, old-school punk and “Mental Ward” sounds like what you would expect from a song titled that.  It’s noisy, chaotic punk with an almost manic pace and sound effects that include a twisted cuckoo clock.  The rollicking instrumental “Rondo (The Midgets Revenge)” is the only track over three minutes and is a complete left turn coming across like an upbeat Prog tune.  The album also contains three covers, which is something the band has become known for over the years.  This time around they tackle Black Sabbath’s “Paranoid”, The Monkees’ “She” (written by Boyce and Hart), and Barry McGuire’s “Eve Of Destruction” (written by P.F. Sloan).  They’ve also had a knack for doing great covers of songs you wouldn’t necessarily think a punk band would tackle and there are three included among the bonus tracks here that are perfect examples.  “Silent Night”, Simon and Garfunkel’s “The Sound Of Silence” and my absolute favorite, their take on The Banana Splits Theme, “The Tra La La Song”, which incredibly hit number seven on the UK singles charts.  The final two bonus tracks are “Hideous”, another more straight-forward, less pop, old school punk tune complemented again with piano and some solid guitar, and the mosh pit ready “Got It At The Store”.  For punk fans old and new, this is the perfect time to discover or rediscover the debut from this band that is going strong today with frontman Phillips and guitarist Stan Lee still in the band.

(Captain Oi!)

Elephant - For A Friend / For A Friend Pt. 2 single

Ever since I heard their debut EP when it was released in 2021, Rotterdam’s Elephant have continuously impressed me with two more albums and now the first two singles from their third album, scheduled to be released in March.  “For A Friend”, the first single from that album has been released as a 7” on orange vinyl through the Paradiso Vinyl Club and is another great shot of sunshine-y melancholy rock with a lazy groove and hooks that will have you singing long after the song is over.  The flipside contains “For A Friend, Pt 2”, a moody, ethereal instrumental soundscape, enhanced by the sounds of a crackling fire, that is brilliantly slated to be the album’s closing track.  Also, while it has nothing to do with this single, do yourself a favor and check out their next single "20k", a stunningly hypnotic track that at its very core has elements that will be familiar to fans of the band's previous work, but with more of a hip-hop beat and the use of vocoder that finds them really expanding their sound.  

(Paradiso Vinyl Club / Excelsior Recordings / Elephant)

Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe - An Evening Of Yes Music Plus  

At the end of 1988, following the release of the more commercial sounding, pop-oriented Yes albums 90125 and Big Generator, Jon Anderson, unhappy with the direction they had taken, left the band.  He released a solo album, In The City Of Angels, and then started a solo project involving the 1971-1972 members of Yes, Rick Wakeman, Steve Howe and Bill Bruford (four-fifths of the band that recorded Fragile and Close To The Edge).  Since the fifth member of that Yes lineup was still in the band, Bruford’s King Crimson bandmate Tony Levin joined on bass and the project evolved into the band Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe, who released an eponymous album in 1989, which hit 14 on the UK Charts and 30 in the US.  Following the album’s release, they did a world tour called An Evening of Yes Music Plus.  Two shows on the tour were recorded for broadcast and release.  NEC Arena in Birmingham, England was recorded on October 25, but not released until 2012, and the show included on this release was recorded for the King Biscuit Flower Hour at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, California on September 9.  While this concert has been released a few times in the past, this newly remastered version sounds fantastic.  Also of note here is the absence of Levin, who missed several shows on the tour, due to being in the hospital recovering from hepatitis, and was replaced by Jeff Berlin.  The show has an interesting opening with Anderson, Howe and Wakeman each coming out one by one and doing a short solo piece.  Anderson starts things off with a very nice medley of sorts of the Yes songs "Time and A Word" and "Owner of A Lonely Heart" as well as the ABWH cut "Teakbois".  Next up is Howe on his acoustic guitar with lively takes on "The Clap" and "Mood For A Day," often with the crowd joining in on handclaps.  Lastly is Wakeman, often showcasing his speed and dexterity with pieces of "Gone But Not Forgotten", "Catherine Parr" and "Merlin the Magician", all tracks from his solo career.  Once Wakeman finishes his section, the familiar opening notes of “Long Distance Runaround” start up and the full band comes out on stage.  Bruford has his moment at the end of the song with an extended solo, that unfortunately sounds a little dated today with the heavy emphasis on electronic drums.  The remainder of the set is a nice mixture of tracks from The Yes Album, Fragile and Close To Edge along with the ABWH album.  The band sounds very tight and the new songs fit in perfectly with the older tracks, really coming to life live and often showing a little more experimentation stylewise.  In addition to the two CD’s that contain the live performance, this box set also include two DVD’s.  The first DVD contains video of the concert, while the second disc has the promotional video “In The Big Dream”, with several promo and live videos and video of them recording the album. (Unfortunately I haven’t had access to the DVD’s so I can’t comment on them).   

(Esoteric Records)

Slaughter & the Dogs - Do It Dog Style (Vinyl LP Edition)

For the first time in over twenty years, Do It Dog Style, the 1978 debut album from one of Manchester’s earliest punk bands, Slaughter & the Dogs, is again “officially” available on vinyl.  The album kicks off with the energetic “Where Have All The Boot Boys Gone”, a track that has been credited as the inspiration behind the Oi! Movement, and while there is also plenty of great early punk like “Boston Babies”, “I’m Mad”, with its poppy choruses, and “We Don’t Care”, there’s also a lot of diversity.  “Victims of The Vampire”, “Keep On Trying” and “Dame To Blame” are extremely infectious tracks that perfectly mesh ragged punk with glam, while “You’re A Bore” is more on the rock side of things.  Then there’s “Since You Went Away”, which is slower and somewhat reminiscent of the jangly alt rock that was in its very early infancy.  The band named themselves after two of their favorite albums, Bowie’s Diamond Dogs and Mick Ronson’s Slaughter on 10th Avenue and fittingly, Ronson contributes guitar to the glam sounding cover of the late sixties track “Quick Joey Small” (originally a bubblegum pop song from  The Kasenetz-Katz Singing Orchestral Circus) and their take on The New York Dolls’ “Who Are the Mystery Girls”, which is louder, faster, ragged and more energetic than the original.  Honestly, it’s way better and Ronson’s on fire here.  Ironically, they also do a cover of The Velvet Underground’s “I’m Waiting For The Man”, but it’s a pretty straightforward version that doesn’t really add much to the song.  In addition to the twelve tracks from the original album, this version includes two songs that were originally non-album B-sides.  Just as the title says, “Johnny T” (flipside of the “Dame To Blame” single) is a raucous tribute to Johnny Thunders and “Come On Back” (flipside to the “Quick Joey Small” single) is a massively catchy, no-frills, straight-ahead rocker.  The album is presented in a deluxe gatefold sleeve that includes press clippings and memorabilia from that era.  

(Captain Oi! Records)

Storace - Crossfire

While best known as the lead vocalist of the Swiss hard rock band Krokus, 2021 found Marc Storace starting work on a solo career, releasing his debut album Live and Let Live under the name Storace. Unfortunately, it was released during the pandemic and without any way to properly promote it, the album didn't get much notice.  When it came time to work on Crossfire, the follow-up, Storace teamed up with Tommy Henriksen (Alice Cooper, Hollywood Vampires, Crossbone Skully) who produced the album, co-wrote all the songs and played a variety of instruments.  For the most part the album shifts away from the more muscular, classic rock sounds of the debut, often like a more modern-day sounding throwback to his work with Krokus, which is evident from the get-go with the full speed ahead power rocker “Screaming Demon”.  “Rock This City,’ which has an intriguing short, sci fi sounding instrumental “The New Unity” as its lead in, and “Hell Yeah” are big sounding anthems, although with the drawback of 80’s metal lyrics that are a bit dated.  “Adrenaline” shows the influence of Def Leppard, down to the guitars, effects and vocal harmonies in the chorus, while “Love Thing Stealer” will bring to mind AC/DC.  Although still rockers, “Let’s Get Nuts” has a bit more of a poppier side and “We All Need The Money” adds a little bit of boogie woogie swagger.  The meaty rocker “Thrill And A Kiss” is a definite high point, and “Millionaire Blues” is another straight-ahead rocker, although a little nondescript.  Closing things out are what have become my two favorite tracks here, and two that actually sound different than the rest.  “Sirens” is a powerhouse track that’s heavy, darker and more introspective and “Only Love Can Hurt Like This” is a strong, piano-led power ballad with an emotional vocal performance from Storace.  Speaking of his vocals, it should be noted that at over seventy years old, Storace sounds just as good as ever.  If you long for the days when bands like Krokus were making their name, do yourself a favor and give Crossfire a listen.

(Frontiers Music)

Various Artists - Dearly Beloved : A Prince Songbook

Dearly Beloved - A Prince Songbook is a fantastic three-CD set compiling fifty-two tracks (five on CD for the first time) that recognize his incredible songwriting.  Disc one is devoted to tracks he wrote or co-wrote for other artists, while disc two consists of soul, funk and jazz covers and disc three is covers that are for the most part genres outside the soul and funk genre.  Of course, when it comes to a collection like this there are going to be songs that come to mind that aren’t included but having said that they have done an outstanding job with the songs and artists that are here.    

Disc one opens with some of the biggest hits other artists have had with Prince songs, including Martika’s “Love… Thy Will Be Done” and Sheena Easton’s “Sugar Walls”, both Top 10 hits, and The Bangles’ “Manic Monday”, which hit number 2.  There are also a couple of Top 10 R&B hits with Prince’s childhood friend and former bandmate André Cymone’s “The Dance Electric” and Patti LaBelle’s “Yo Mister”.  Other high points are “The Sex Of It” from Kid Creole & The Coconuts, the super funky with a rock edge “Sex” from Dutch girl group Lois Lane, the psychedelic tinged rocker “Van Gogh” from Van Gogh, the stunningly gorgeous, smoky jazz groove of “Dream Of Fire” from Portuguese Fado singer Ana Moura with Herbie Hancock, and “North Carolina” from former Prince vocalist Shelby J (featuring Anthony Hamilton), which is a soulful, gospel flavored track with a slow funk beat.  The remaining cuts on disc one are Elisa Fiorillo’s “Oooh This I Need”, with the slow, burning sexy funk of bands like Apollonia 6 and Vanity 6, the super funky “I Want U” from Rosie Gaines (another former Prince vocalist), Monie Love’s “In A Word Or 2”, Mica Paris’ “If I Love U 2 Nite”, Nona Hendryx’s “Baby Go-Go” (with backing vocals from George Clinton and Mavis Staples), Paula Abdul’s “U”, former Revolution bassist Brownmark’s “Shall We Dance?” and strangely Kenny Rogers’ “You’re My Love”, which actually sounds more like a Kenny Rogers song than a Prince song.  

As mentioned before, the second disc is primarily soul, funk and jazz covers.  There are a few exceptions including Jonny Lang’s standout, swampy funk and blues take on “I Am” (an unreleased Prince cut) and Tuesday Knight’s “Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad?,” which veers more in an eighties pop rock direction.  Some of the other highlights here include Corinne Bailey Rae’s “I Wanna Be Your Lover”, Valerie Carter’s gorgeous take on “Crazy You”, which in her hands becomes a slower, jazzy torch ballad, a soulful and slightly funky gospel version of “Walk Don’t Walk” from Traces Gospel Choir, Jordan Knight’s slowed down “I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man,”  “Soft And Wet” from N’Dambi, a super funky track with some great rock guitar, Workshy’s really pretty, stripped down take on “Damn U” and “Sometimes It Snows In April from Bobby Sparks II and Lizz Wright.  Rounding out disc two are Stephanie Mills’ “How Come U Don’t Call Me Anymore?”, The Pointer Sisters “I Feel For You,” which sticks fairly close to the original, but is missing that something that made the Chaka Khan version such a hit, Meli’sa Morgan’s “Do Me Baby”, Crystal Waters’ “Uptown,” Joe Roberts’ “Adore,” Debra Hurd’s “Gotta Broken Heart Again”, Passion’s “Gigolos Get Lonely Too” (originally recorded by The Time), Mellow Man Ace’s “Irresistable Bitch” (featuring Geo) and “It’s Gonna Be Lonely” from Princess & Starbreeze.

Where a lot of the songs on the first two discs don’t stray too far from the original, and a few here still follow that same path, disc three is largely full of tunes that have been completely reinterpreted.  The uniqueness and the diversity of these sixteen tracks makes this my favorite disc of the set.  7 Hurtz with Peaches and Bitch Lap Lap (aka Feist) kick things off with a super fun and funky electronic tinged take on “Sexy Dancer.”  “Take Me With U” is given an upbeat James Brown funk groove by Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings, while Hue & Cry give “Sign O’ The Times” a horn-driven, soulful funky bebop treatment, and Lambchop’s “When You Were Mine” is lo-fi alt country with processed vocals.  Dead Or Alive takes the psychedelia of “Pop Life” and adds some Indian instrumentation giving it their unique sound, followed by Robyn’s awesome piano and vocal rendition of “Jack U Off” which has a cabaret feel, and the infectious electropop of The Dirty Monroes’ “Vibrator.”  Dayna Kurt’s rendition of “Joy In Repetition” is an absolutely stunning cover that is subdued and haunting with outstanding vocals and brilliant atmospheric production.  The vocals are also the highlight of the primarily a cappella “Love 2 The 9’s” from Michelle Mailhot, and Bilal’s soulful performance of “How Come U Don’t Call Me Anymore?” which is very reminiscent of the original.  Next up is Surferosa’s catchy, synth-driven alt pop take on “Controversy” followed by Morgan James’ powerhouse vocal performance on the soulful, somewhat bluesy “Call My Name.”  Joe Stilgoe’s “Partyman” is a fun upbeat, Cab Calloway styled Big Band version and legendary saxophonist Maceo Parker, known for his work with Parliament-Funkadelic, James Brown and Prince, contributes a laid-back jazzy soul take on “Other Side Of The Mirror”.  The disc closes extremely strong with Anne Marie Almedal’s beautiful, dreamy “Paisley Park” and the stunning “Purple Rain” featuring Amanda Palmer’s fragile, whispery vocals backed by a haunting string section composed by Jherek Bischoff.  The box set is rounded out with a nice booklet from Adam Mattera, who curated the collection, and quotes from many of the contributing performers.  

(Cherry Red Records)