By Maxazine South Africa 
Dozens of new albums arrive at Maxazine’s editorial staff every week. There are too many to listen to, let alone review them. It ensures that too many albums are left behind. And that’s a shame. That is why we post an overview of albums that arrive at the editors in short reviews today.
Photo (c) Jorge Fakhouri Filho
Jon Gold – Things Are Looking Up
Composer and pianist Jon Gold is certainly not lacking in productivity. In January, Gold delivered the album “Anahi”, clearly inspired by his stay in Brazil. This “Things Are Looking Up” is of an entirely different order. You can already tell from the list of musicians performing on the album. One of the big names is Mauricio Zottarelli, a regular member of the backing bands of Lee Ritenour and Dave Grusin, who here acts as co-producer and drummer on most tracks. Occasionally, the drumsticks are handled by JT Bates, executive producer and regular drummer for Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift. Then there is saxophonist Bryan Murray, who has just concluded a tour with Talking Heads frontman David Byrne. In short, this is a veritable all-star line-up with which Gold has created something of a tribute album, featuring compositions that honour people important to him, such as legendary recording engineer Rudy Van Gelder, the man responsible for the sixties sound of Blue Note. Or jazz legends such as saxophonist Gary Bartz, featuring an excellent contribution from Murray, and trumpeter Woody Herman Shaw. All these tributes result in an entertaining, accessible fusion album that will not alienate any listener. (Jeroen Mulder) (7/10) (Entropic Records)
Dermot Kennedy – The Weight of the Woods
With his third album “The Weight of the Woods”, Irish singer-songwriter Dermot Kennedy returns to his roots. Following his two number one albums “Without Fear” (2019) and “Sonder” (2022), the album was largely recorded in a studio near his home in Dublin, in collaboration with producer Gabe Simon, who previously worked with Noah Kahan and Lana Del Rey. Kennedy drew inspiration from the forest behind his house and worked with traditional Irish instruments such as uilleann pipes, bodhrán and dulcimer. Tracks such as “Refuge” and “Honest” present him as a balladeer in his most convincing form, while “Endless” grows from an intimate piano moment into an emotional crescendo. Experimental passages recall Bon Iver and Sigur Rós, but the most powerful moments lie in the sparse, direct songs. The title track closes the album as a wandering minstrel ballad. “The Weight of the Woods” is a sincere, earthy record that will resonate with his stadium audience, yet sounds most compelling in its quieter moments. (William Brown) (7/10) (Island)
Daphne Roubini and Black Gardenia – Whisky Scented Kisses
One of the first notable facts you encounter in Daphne Roubini’s biography is that she is the founder of Ruby’s Ukes, the largest ukulele school outside Hawaii. Along the way, she also launched the Vancouver Ukulele Festival. You might therefore assume that “Whisky Scented Kisses” is an album in which these miniature guitars take centre stage. Until you press play and hear a gritty female voice with a sultry, dark timbre singing about her state of mind in a minor key. With her Black Gardenia, Roubini delivers vocal jazz clearly inspired by the genre’s heyday, with figureheads such as Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald. However, “Whisky Scented Kisses” aims to be more than a nostalgic reflection of those glorious forties and fifties. Alongside standards, this Canadian artist attempts to breathe new life into the genre with original compositions, and thankfully without the ukulele. In that respect, Roubini the composer proves stronger than Roubini the singer. She has developed a style in which she compensates for her limited range with a loose, conversational phrasing, sometimes bordering on whispering, while the melodic lines in the restrained arrangements call for more vocal expression. Nevertheless, Roubini succeeds through suggestion alone. A suggestion that arouses curiosity, much like the aroma of a fine old whisky. It makes you want to taste it as well. (Jeroen Mulder) (7/10) (La Reserve Records)
Bon Iver – Volumes: One
With “Volumes: One”, Justin Vernon launches a new archival project inspired by Bob Dylan’s Bootleg Series and the Neil Young Archives. This first instalment brings together ten live recordings from the period 2019 to 2023, performed by the six-piece Bon Iver live band, including Jenn Wasner, Sean Carey and Matthew McCaughan. Recordings from venues such as The Forum in Los Angeles, the Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago and WOMADelaide in Australia form a coherent whole that documents the band’s evolution. Songs such as “Hey, Ma”, “Jelmore” and “33 God” sound fuller and more immediate than their studio counterparts, while “Heavenly Father” returns to streaming platforms. A notable highlight is the cover of “A Satisfied Mind”, which evolved through Vernon’s characteristic vocal synthesis. “Volumes: One” is not merely a live album, but a carefully curated artistic statement that reveals the essence of Bon Iver, both for those who already knew and those who never did. (Norman van den Wildenberg) (8/10) (Jagjaguwar)
Jah Wobble & Jon Klein – Automated Paradise
“Automated Paradise” is the first official album by the legendary post-punk musicians John Wardle, better known by his stage name Jah Wobble, and former Siouxsie and the Banshees guitarist Jon Klein. The two have known each other since the 1980s and have collaborated sporadically in the past, such as on Wobble’s solo album “Step Up” from 2023. Wobble gained fame as the original bassist and co-founder of the post-punk band Public Image Ltd. His nickname was given to him by Sid Vicious, who once pronounced his real name John Wardle as Jah Wobble in a drunken moment. The eight tracks on “Automated Paradise” combine Wobble’s characteristic ‘dub-thunder’ bass playing with Klein’s sharp guitar parts and arpeggios. Themes on the album include social collapse and the influence of AI. On the track “Read Between The Lines”, iconic actor Anthony Hopkins contributes by reciting a poem and playing guitar and keyboard. This music is aimed at a niche audience and can best be described as The Police with spoken word instead of vocals. Decide for yourself whether this album is for you. (Ad Keepers) (7/10) (Dimple Discs)
