Reviews of the latest music releases (From News Shopper)

Reviews of the latest music releases

10:01am Wednesday 9th May 2012 in Reviews By Kevin Bryan

Kevin Bryan reviews the latest music releases

Roberta Flack,"Let It Be Roberta Flack Sings The Beatles" ***

This venerable performer is best remembered these days for the work that she did in the early 1970s, when her pensive interpretations of songs such as Ewan Mac Coll's "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" and Janis Ian's "Jesse" made a profound impact on audiences on both sides of the Atlantic.

Roberta's output grew increasingly bland and lifeless as the years wore on however, and she rarely ventures into the recording studio these days.

"Let It Be Roberta" is the 75 year old Ms Flack's long overdue follow up to 2003's "Holiday," and the contents find her taking considerable artistic liberties with the cream of the Beatles back catalogue as she re-invents much covered ditties such as "Hey Jude, " "Let It Be" and "The Long and Winding Road" with wildly varying degrees of success.

Out now (429 Records FTN 17852 : £10.43)

Maggie Boyle, "Won't You Come Away" ****

This highly regarded performer's distinctive voice and flute have graced a string of excellent folk CDs since she made her debut in 1987 with "Reaching Out," although the vast majority of these recordings have been collaborations with luminaries such as Steve Tilston and John Renbourn.

"Won't You Come Away" is only the third solo set that Maggie has recorded during the past two and a half decades, and this splendidly eclectic offering showcases compelling ballads such as "The Green Linnet" alongside Vaughan Williams' "Linden Lea" and some fine vehicles for her instrumental prowess led by "Lament for John Doherty" and "Paddy Boyle's Highland."

Released on June 4th (Wild Goose WGS 390 CD : £12.96)

Myung-Whun Chung, "Bizet:Carmen Suite" ***

Georges Bizet penned some of the 19th century's most colourful and evocative orchestral creations, and this neat and well balanced 1991 recital from Korean conductor Chung and Paris' Bastille Orchestra features his incidental music for the 1872 production of Daudet's play "L'Arlesienne" alongside the composer's "Carmen Suite" and the enchanting "Jeux d'enfants."

The latter work was originally conceived as a series of twelve miniatures for piano duet, but Bizet later orchestrated five of the most popular numbers from the set as the "Petite Suite."

Out now (D.G.478 4034 : £7.73)

June Tabor & Oyster Band, "Ragged Kingdom" *****

Ms Tabor's previous collaboration with the Oyster Band,"Freedom and Rain" was released to universal acclaim in 1990, and these gifted folk luminaries have now finally been tempted back into the studio to record this very very belated follow-up.

June's rare ability to inhabit a song and make it her own personal property informs classic traditional ballads such as "Bonny Bunch of Roses" and "Fountains Flowing" and the melancholy chanteuse also duets affectingly with the Oyster Band's John Jones on Joy Division's "Love Will Tear Us Apart" and James Carr's sixties soul gem "The Dark End of the Street."

Out now (Topic TSCD 585: £8.99)

China Crisis, "Ultimate Crisis" ***

The unassuming Merseyside duo of Eddie Lundon and Gary Daly were the creative driving forces behind China Crisis, who enjoyed a moderate run of chart success during the early eighties via songs such as "Black Man Ray, " "King In A Catholic Style" and their infectious 1982 debut, "African and White."

This 34 track anthology explores much more of the band's sensitive and well crafted musical output, including some choice extracts from the two albums that they recorded with Steely Dan's Walter Becker, "Flaunt The Imperfection" and "Diary of a Hollow Horse."

Out now (Music Club Deluxe MCDLX 152 : £4.49)