Record Review with Kevin Bryan

Here are your latest record reviews to enjoy, written by Kevin Bryan

The Cadillac Three - Bury Me In My Boots (Big Machine Records. The Nashville-based country rockers The Cadillac Three cheerfully exploit every redneck cliche in the book as they serve up this raw and gritty celebration of all things Southern. The band’s 2015 single, White Lightning, captures the essence of the trio’s intense and instantly appealing approach to music-making, and newcomers to their refreshingly adult sound would also be well advised to lend an ear to prime cuts such as Slide and This Accent.

Leslie West - Mountain (Repertoire Records). This muscular solo offering from larger-than-life guitarist Leslie West first saw the light of day in 1969 and provided the first vinyl outlet for the band which would go on to become Mountain with the later addition of keyboardist Steve Knight. The contents should be required listening for anyone who professes an interest in the development of the rock genre during the late 60s and early 70s, with Felix Pappalardi’s inventive bass lines underpinning a heavily Cream influenced set boasting classic creations such as Dreams of Milk & Honey, Blood of the Sun and Dylan’s This Wheel’s On Fire.

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Vladimir Feltsman - Schumann (Nimbus). This impressive three-CD set finds acclaimed Russian pianist Vladimir Feltsman bringing his instrumental artistry to bear on a broad cross-section of keyboard works penned by one of the leading lights of German Romanticism. The entire recital was captured for posterity during the space of just five days in March 2014, and many of Schumann’s most attractive compositions are given an airing in the process, including Carnaval, Kreisleriana and the deceptively childlike Kinderszenen from 1838.

Asylums - Killer Brain Waves (Cool Thing Records). Southend’s Asylums have been described as “an irresistible cocktail of Lemonheads, Weezer and Sonic Youth,” and echoes of the finest 90s rock certainly permeate Killer Brain Waves, the band’s urgent and well nigh irresistible debut set. Their quirkily memorable material tackles subjects as diverse as austerity and gender equality via an appealing flurry of incandescent melodic hooks, with I’ve Seen Your Face In A Music Magazine and the curiously anthemic Joy In A Small Wage emerging as the pick of an excellent opener.