by Various Artists
Various Artists Ciao Bella! PBS Feature Record
They’ve got sass, they’ve got soul, they pack a punch and pasta for lunch. Ciao Bella! is a superb cocktail of some of the rarest records to come out of the Italian mod scene – a full female lineup in the very male-dominated music industry of 1960s Italy.
The album’s opener from Brunetta says it all, with brooding percussion and storming vocals that will have your shoulders shimmying in the first few seconds. She’s followed up by Mina, the queen of Italian song, with a reputation to match. The solid performances and cinematic arrangements keep coming, with Ornella Vanoni, Carmen Villani and Caterina Caselli to name a few. These are powerful soul women with undeniable groove, so pour yourself a Campari on ice and do as the Romans do.
by Alessia Pegoli – The Prosecco Hour
Pops Staples Don’t Lose This (Featured on The Breakfast Spread)
Gospel soul at its finest. Don’t Lose This is a great record from one of the genre’s originators. In 1948, along with his wife and four children, Pops Staples formed The Staple Singers who went on to influence countless musicians over the next few decades.
In 1999, well into his 80s, Pops recorded and produced a batch of songs but never finished them. More than 15 years on, his daughter Mavis has completed them with the help of her longtime contributor Jeff Tweedy and the results are stunning. They’ve made the songs sound modern but without making them too clean, giving them a slightly raw sound that wouldn’t sound out of place next to their classic 70s catalogue. The mix of the songs is great too, with originals like 'Somebody Was Watching' and 'Love On My Side' (featuring a lead vocal by Mavis) mixed with traditional tunes like 'Will The Circle Be Unbroken' and even a live rendition of Bob Dylan’s 'Gotta Serve Somebody'. An album that’s a fitting farewell for Pops!
by Crispi – The Breakfast Spread
This week's Top 10:
