Music Reviews

Tony Joe White, "Bad Mouthin' " (Yep Roc)- This compellingly primal celebration of Tony Joe White's deep Southern roots finds the Louisiana born musician immersing himself in the spirit of the blues, with uniformly excellent results. Many of the tracks feature just Tony Joe and his battered old Fender Stratocaster as this refreshingly unaffected character applies his distinctive musical imprint to songs made famous by legendary figures such as Jimmy Reed, Lightnin' Hopkins and the "Father of the Delta Blues," Charley Patton, before closing with a delightfully downhome revamp of "Heartbreak Hotel." "Bad Mouthin' " should certainly be required listening for roots music enthusiasts everywhere, capturing one of rock's most distinctive performers at something approaching his visceral best.

Hudson-Ford, "Daylight" (Esoteric / Cherry Red)- Richard Hudson and John Ford operated as The Strawbs rhythm section during the distinctive prog rockers' brief flirtation with fame and fortune in the early seventies, and the duo were also responsible for penning the group's biggest single success , "Part of the Union," in 1972. They left the fold soon afterwards to explore a much more mainstream and commercial approach to music-making , enjoying a few minor chart entries during their early years together but gradually losing their creative impetus and finally giving up the ghost after the release of their fourth album,"Daylight," in 1977. This eclectic but rather patchy offering is now available on CD for the first time, remastered and expanded with the inclusion of four tracks culled from their later CBS singles output.

Dan Fogelberg and Tim Weisberg, "Twin Sons of Different Mothers" (Retroworld)- This unusual project dates from 1978 and brought together singer-songwriter Fogelberg and jazz flautist Weisberg to conjure up a predominantly instrumental set informed by the simple act of making music for its own sake, without a thought for the package's ultimate commercial potential. The finished product may have been almost painfully polished and tasteful but it was also surprisingly popular, with Fogelberg in particularly fine fettle on covers of Judy Collins' "Since You Asked" and The Hollies' "Tell Me To My Face," the latter featuring harmony vocals from no less a luminary than The Eagles' Don Henley.

The Sutherland Brothers, "Lifeboat / When The Night Comes Down" (Retroworld)- Gavin and Iain Sutherland arguably never received the recognition that their writing and performing exploits deserved, and they're best remembered these days for their 1976 hit, "The Arms of Mary." This splendid re-issue from the good people at Retroworld couples their second and eighth and final albums, capturing the essence of the Scottish duo's plaintive and effortlessly melodic sound via fine tracks such as "Lady Like You," "When The Night Comes Down " and the original version of "Sailing," which would be covered so successfully by Rod Stewart a few years later.