Records

Rip It Up, Issue 118, 1 May 1987, Page 26

Records

Ruby Turner Women Hold Up Half the Sky Jive : Ruby Turner’s a new name to most of us. Last year's single ‘lf You're Ready (Come Go With Me), an upbeat version of the Staple Singers’ classic, was the first thing to register here, and now the catchy follow-up ‘Bye Baby’ is gaining steady airplay. The good news is that her debut album fulfills the promise of those two singles — Women Hold Up Half the Sky is one of the most consistently listenable records to arrive in some time. A variety of production teams:(six in total, including Billy Ocean, Minneapolisbased Monte Moir and Womack & Womack) don't disrupt Ruby Turner’s consistently mellow but funky approach. Ironically, while the styling is allAmerican and reminiscent, say, of Randy Crawford, Ruby Turner is British. Based in Birmingham, she arrived in the UK at the age of nine and in her career has worked with

ÜB4O, Bryan Ferry and Culture Club.

Turner’s strong but understated voice is up to a range of tasks — from her joyous approach to ‘Come Go With Me' to the soulful requirements of ‘A Woman Left Lonely, and she can even rescue the high-class schlock like ‘Only Women Bleed’ that threatens to bog down side two. - There's no genre busting going on here, no hacking at the frontiers, but Ruby Turner’s quiet assurance and easy delivery make this one of the best soft soul LPs to come along since the first Womack & Womack album. Alastair Dougal Sticks & Shanty Jah Magic Jayrem : : Smiley Culture The Original Serengeti : : Original, contemporary indigineous music is slowly dragging itself into the 1980 s, thanks largely to the influence of Robert Nesta Marley. His sound is relectedin all local reggae groups, Wellington’s Sticks & Shanty being no exception. , There’s nothing startlingly in-

novative in- Jah Magic. The strengths of this nine-piece group, at least half of whose members are related, lie in their voices and melodies. ‘Courthouse’ and ‘Row Papa Row’ show some promising 'songwriting talent which will hopefully be borne out in the follow-up album, promised for later this year. On the minus side, the other pervasive influence on local musicians, Jimi Hendrix, frequently manifests itself in guitar solos which are both dated and excessive. A stronger keyboard sound would help too, along with lyrics which are more of a statement and less of a cliche.

Smiley Culture was the first of the British mike chanters, or MCs, to crack the charts. ‘Cockney Translation’ and ‘Police Officer’ are standards of the MC genre, with witty and topical lyrics, often chanted at breathless speed. It's hard to tire of Smiley’s stories and his most recent works show no sign that he's running out of ideas. The Original includes the two previously-mentioned tracks, plus four more, all with extended dance mixes. Fun and games from a court jester who sometimes wears a frown behind his smile. Slam bam! :

If you can't find these records in

your local store, write to Jayrem Records, PO. Box 3054, Wellington. Duncan Campbell Merle Haggard Out Among the Stars CBS , Merle Haggard - i Love Country Epic Merle sings songs that can rip your heart out, from the storyteller tradition of Jimmie Rodgers and Hank Williams, stuff dripping with the joys and sorrows of everyday life. - : - On the 'B6 release Out Among the Stars there is a wonder of wonders called ‘My Life's Been Around’ — a man looks back and reviews his past (“the world sure looked lonely”); the way he sings it, it'’s like he’s on his way to the electric chair. It carries the weight of the world in its strange and weary delivery. The electric chair bit may not be so far-fetched, for in 1957, while Haggard was serving a one-to-ten for attempted burglary, he did a stretch a few cells away from poor old Caryl Chessman.

Haggard, like George Jones, is a master ballad singer. The version

of ‘Almost Persuaded'’ is a beauty, especially when there’s just voice and violins. There’s not much to get happy about, but ‘Pennies from Heaven'’ has a nice dixieland feel, but the pathos remains. The I Love Country collection has most of the hits from the time he signed with Epic in the late 70s, a bit more fun here with the sexy ‘Let's Chase Each Other Around the Room’ and ‘| Always Get Lucky with You! It seems a cliche when you describe country as working class laments, but things like ‘Bigotry’ and ‘Are the Good Times Really Over’ hit the nerves of working people everywhere. Both albums are good additions to a country collection, but try to get the earlier stuff available on the Branded Man collection and the glorious Gin and Misery album. : Kerry Buchanan : The Saints : Monkey Puzzle Jayrem - Chris Bailey returned to Australia in 1979 after the breakup of the original Saints, pissed around for a year and ended up with this band — they played pubrock, tight as a duck’s arse, and good. :

This is the Saints in between the glorious punk-edged R&B of the first three albums and the mature rock of All Fools Day. It's a raw and energetic good time, containing two'bona-fide classics, ‘ln the Mirror’ and ‘Always, Always, a rockin’ out finale of ‘Dizzy Miss Lizzy’ and only really marred by a nonproduction that’s rivalled only by the Gun Club's awesome Miami ...

Though not all essential, this stays in my collection on the strength of the two aforementioned songs, and | offer (yet again) hearty thanks to Jayrem for bringing us more of the best of Australian independent releases. Support them — buy their product. Paul McKessar Tesca ~ Mechanical Resonance (WEA) - Electric energy performed in a fairly typical metal style with a lot of early 70s rock influence evident. Although they may not have much originality, the Sacramento quintet Tesla have still done pretty well for a debut recording and it's better than many other things

around at them moment.

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