Midlake - The Courage of Others - 7 Acts of Man/ Winter Dies/ Small Mountain/ Core of Nature/ Fortune/ Rulers, Ruling All Things/ Children of the Grounds/ Bring Down/ The Horn/ The Courage of Others/ In the Ground There is a thematic feel to Midlake's third album - an album four years in the making. It is undeniable that the roots of this album lie in British Progressive folk rock with more than a nod to the likes of Jethro Tull (at times lead singer Tim Smith uses the same phrasing as Ian Anderson) and the Strawbs. Ultimately this is an album by a letter day band of hippies who seem to have stepped straight out of the 1970s. This could have been played at Woodstock. But there is still a progressive feel to it, although most of the songs are very similar. In some ways that adds to its attraction as it should be listened to as a whole - as if it's a song cycle or indeed just one long song (as Tull said Life's a long song). It's hard to see whether Midlake have taken a step forward or a step forward and two back. That said it is a glorious evocation of the countryside with Smith's plaintiff vocals threatening to soar but staying in check. The overall feel is one of heady atmosphere. This is intelligent folk/rock. It may not be as easily accessible as Van Occupanther, but there are many beautiful moments.
American VI - Ain't No Grave - 6 Ain't No Grave (Gonna Hold This Body Down)/ Redemption Day/ For the Good Times/ I Corinthians 15:55/ Can't Help But Wonder Where I'm Bound/ A Satisfied Mind/ I Don't Hurt Anymore/ Cool Water/ Last Night I had the Strangest Dream/ Aloha Oe. American VI is the final instalment in the Cash series and perhaps it might be an album too far. Whilst American V was never mawkish and saw a man confronting his mortality in song, this follow up, which came from the same sessions and was recorded in 2003. seems almost as if Cash is trying to convince himself on certain matters. So it doesn't have the immediacy of the previous album. Each song suddenly takes on a life of its own as a piece of redemption (hence the inclusion of Sheryl Crow's Redemption Day). He does inject some original feel to Kris Kristofferson's For the Good Times and Tom Paxton's Can't Help Wonder Where I'm Bound" speaks for itself. Less successful is the Cash original taken from the book of Corinthians straight from the Bible and there is a tired feel to Cool Water and Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream. As a legacy and reminder of the Man in Black this is a fitting epitaph, as an album in its own right it is passable.
Y Not - 5 Fill in the Blanks/ Peace Dream/ The Other Side of Liverpool/ Walk With You/ Time/ Everyone Wins/ Mystery of the Night/ Can't Do It Wrong/ Y Not/ Who's Your Daddy Another jaunty little number from our Ringo. If Liverpool 8 in many ways took the man back to his roots, Y Not extends those roots and entrenches them a little deeper into Scouseland. You just know with Mr Starr that there's going to be plenty of dross, but usually amongst it all is a couple of gems. Interestingly they have become songs about the past and so it is here. Many of the pieces are straightforward and monumentally average rockers, but occasionally Ringo rises above and three tracks on this album are significant. Peace Dream shows that he is on more than nodding terms with the memory of John Lennon, The Other Side of Liverpool harks back to the song Liverpool 8, but more importantly Walk With You is a genuinely good song. Firstly it is written by Ringo in collaboration with the genius of Van Dyke Parks and, perhaps more importantly, it has backing vocals from Paul McCartney. Two old mates getting it on and as far as the Beatles go that's all we can now ever expect. The album is worth buying for that one track. Overall it's a pretty punchy affair that may not win any awards but at least the man is still creating music.