by Chris Russell's Chicken Walk
Chris Russell's Chicken Walk Drive (PBS feature record)
It’s dirty, sleezy, fat and gritty…importantly though it’s also bloody good. For some years now Chris Russell has been a favourite on the live scene with his mix of distorted roots and high energy blues-rock. Since teaming up with ‘Diamond’ Dave Folley behind the kit the project appears to have galvanized to the point where the two players create a perfect storm of driving, groove-laden tracks that truly are greater than the sum of the individual parts – just guitar, voice and kit.
For those who haven’t yet had the pleasure of seeing Russell play, it’s hard to imagine that so much can come from a single guitar. For those of us who have seen Chris Russell’s Chicken Walk live this album provides a great reminder of why we probably walked away with sore calf muscles and throbbing eardrums. It’s almost impossible not to turn Drive up loud, and even harder to resist the reflexive foot-stomping that inevitably ensues.
If you’re not yet familiar with Chris Russell’s Chicken Walk I suggest you get your hands on Drive, crank it up to 11 and then get online to find out when they’re next playing in your town.
PBS FM
Julia Holter Have You In My Wilderness (Featured on The Breakfast Spread)
When I put Julia Holter's latest album into my CD player I wasn't expecting this. Have You In My Wilderness, her fourth album, is her most accessible to date - most would still call it unconventional, but this time she has used melody in a beautiful way to complement her experimentation. The result is an album invites you in from the first note; anyone can listen to this and get something out of it. Perhaps it's this complexity that makes Have You In My Wilderness feel like an experience rather than just something you listen to, as the listener becomes fully immersed in the world it's created. Previously collaborating with more experimental artists including Nite Jewel, Michael Pisaro and Linda Perhacs, this sounds like new territory for Julia Holter. She is also working on a track with Jean-Michel Jarre for his upcoming album Electronica, so definitely more exciting things to come Julia Holter!
By Cat– The Breakfast Spread
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