Music reviews

Rachel Harrington,"Hush The Wild Horses" (Skinny Dennis Records)-Once dubbed by Maverick magazine as "the hardest working woman in Americana," Rachel Harrington's relentless touring schedule ultimately took its toll on the Oregon born singer-songwriter's health, and she was forced to take a lengthy sabbatical from the punishing effects of life on the road. She has now returned to the fray after a seven year hiatus with her creative batteries fully recharged, joining forces with pedal steel guitar legend Lloyd Maines to deliver a personal and deeply affecting collection which boasts subtly crafted gems such as "I Meant To Go To Memphis" and "Susanna," Rachel's touching tribute to her songwriting hero, Guy Clark.

Climax Blues Band," The Albums 1969-1972" (Esoteric/Cherry Red)- Stafford's finest musical exports enjoyed a brief flurry of chart success during the late seventies with radio friendly hits such as "Couldn't Get It Right," but this splendid 5 CD anthology focusses attention on the band's early output, witnessing a steady progression from their Chicago blues influenced debut set to later, much more rock orientated offerings such as "Tightly Knit" and "A Lot of Bottle." The late Pete Haycock's eloquent slide guitar work underpins fine covers of "Take Out Some Insurance," and "Wee Wee Blues," with the country-tinged "Shoot Her If She Runs" offering an appetising glimpse of the more commercial direction that their music would take in the future.

New Order + Liam Gillick,"So It Goes.." (Mute)-The summer of 2017 found New Order returning to the stage at Manchester's Old Granada Studios where Joy Division made their television debut in 1978 as they revisited some choice moments from their illustrious back catalogue in collaboration with visual artist Liam Gillick and a 12 strong synthesiser ensemble from the Royal Northern College of Music. Their artfully conceived set list supplied a fascinating blend of the familiar and the relatively obscure, setting perennial live favourites such as "Bizarre Love Triangle" alongside gems from the Joy Division era including "Disorder" and "Decades."

Phil Manzanera,"Diamond Head" (Voiceprint)- The winter of 1974 found Roxy Music guitarist Phil Manzanera taking a well earned break from his activities with the band to put together his first solo album. "Diamond Head" was the result and although it didn't make too much of a commercial impact at the time the contents certainly provide a splendid vehicle for Manzanera's instrumental artistry as this consistently under-rated musician and his gifted cohorts tackle a sublime blend of quirkily memorable songs and instrumentals, with the likes of Robert Wyatt, Brian Eno and King Crimson's John Wetton handling the vocal duties on "Frontera," "Miss Shapiro" and "Same Time Next Week" respectively.