Album reviews: Callum Beattie | Van Morrison
Callum Beattie aims for the back of the park with this collection of would-be anthems, writes Fiona Shepherd
Callum Beattie: INDI (Cooking Vinyl) ★★★
Van Morrison: Somebody Tried To Sell Me A Bridge (Orangefield Records) ★★★
Off the back of his biggest headline show to date at Glasgow’s Hydro and ahead of his summer headline at Edinburgh Castle, Callum Beattie releases an album of would-be anthems, aiming for the back of the park and just about reaching it by chucking in stomping rhythms, wordless singalong chants and big string arrangements as required.
The likes of Two Pretenders barrel along like Sam Fender, while Birthday is infectious and a bit delirious, like a one-man Fratellis. Beattie leans into the natural chiming poppiness of Sound of Sirens and invokes all the homesick hometown cliches to lighter-waving effect on It Always Rains in Glasgow.
If it’s a new year/month/week, it must be a new Van Morrison album. Somebody Tried To Sell Me a Bridge celebrates his love of the blues with covers of songs by Fats Domino, John Lee Hooker, Junior Wells and BB King.
Given the potency of his band, Morrison can’t help tilting the whole venture towards rhythm’n’blues, with even a touch of of the James Browns to the fine call-and-response backing vocals on Snatch It Back and Hold It.
Taj Mahal adds fiery harmonica to a couple of tracks and Morrison himself adds “fol-de-rol” to the blues lexicon on his pointed yet graceful original Social Climbing Scene.
CLASSICAL
Hans Zender: Schubert’s Winterreise (Signum Classics) ★★★★★
Further to well-received live performances over recent years by tenor Allan Clayton and the Aurora Orchestra of Hans Zender’s “composed interpretation” of Schubert’s Winterreise, such a fine recording as this is welcome. Zeller’s concept is inspired, a fantastical odyssey that honours the vocal line of Schubert’s late song cycle, yet amplifies its emotional sensitivities through orchestrations enhanced by an exotic array of accordion, melodicas, guitar and percussion, while playing loose with wild idiomatic adventures and surreal, extended material. The opening Gute Nacht alone bounces between theatrical, contemporary sound effects, rustic Mahler, demented Berg, even hints of Janacek, yet somehow even the winsomeness of Schubert’s writing is potently preserved. The compelling sincerity of Clayton’s singing - even when erupting into manic, expressionist Sprechstimme - maintains the purity of the work. The Aurora players under Nicholas Collon’s direction are superbly mood-inducing. This Winter’s Journey is quite the magical mystery tour. Ken Walton
JAZZ
Julia Hülsmann Octet: While I Was Away (ECM) ★★★★
German pianist Julia Hülsmann artfully merges jazz piano trio with classical piano trio in an octet that combines a veritable theatre of voices – vocalists Michael Schiefel, Live Maria Roggen and Aline Frazão – with strings plus bassist Eva Kruse and drummer Eva Klesse. Chamber jazz with a kick, these are idiosyncratic settings of lyrics ranging from Ani DiFranco’s hit Up Up Up … to such unlikely sources as Margaret Atwood and Emily Dickinson. Things lift off right from the skittish opener, the Brazilian Coisárìo De Imagens, delivered with verve by the Angolan Frazão. Walkside sees a luscious glide of piano, strings and subtle brushwork alongside dreamy vocals from Roggen, who co-wrote the number as well as the quirky Moonfish Dance, with its vivacious piano and string responses, while Atwood’s lyrics receive theatrical treatment from all three singers amid the dramatic headlong progress of You Come Back. Jim Gilchrist
The Scotsman’s arts newsletter is now sent twice a week - subscribe today
Want the latest Scottish headlines sent directly to your phone? Sign up to our new WhatsApp channel here
Comments
Want to join the conversation? Please or to comment on this article.