Having occupied the suave end of art-rock back in the ’70s, Bryan Ferry would find two following decades rather self-unsatisfying in terms of creative flight; as a result, ’80s and ’90s found the singer release only two, one per each ten years, platters of original material. Not for the lack of trying, though, especially in the case of 1994’s “Mamouna” which, nearing its 30th anniversary, will be celebrated with an expanded edition on November 17th.
“She” wasn’t the worst fantasy film of all time but it edged close to this title, prompting Neil Gaiman to note, back in 1994, that the movie was “just bad enough to be very funny for those willing to ignore the fact that the plot, the acting and the direction are of ‘Plan Nine From Outer Space standard. A must for anyone who likes throwing popcorn at the screen” – which must have been enough for Rick Wakeman to want to accompany Sandahl Bergman’s on-screen shenanigans with his music. Not that the soundtrack has been ever released – but it will be, on September 15th.
For all her brilliance as a solo performer, working with other artists – including other singers – has always been one of Carla Olson‘s fortes, the talent brought to the fore on the American chanteuse’s debut under her own name, 1987’s “So Rebellious A Lover” which was styled as an album of duets with Gene Clark, and again on “Have Harmony, Will Travel” ten years ago. The latter platter proved to be successful enough to see a second volume in 2000 – and the third, that will see the release on October 20th, 2023.
One of the finest blues and soul British chanteuses, Kyla Brox deserves to be known not only as a child of singers whose voices everybody’s familiar with from the original cast recording of “Jesus Christ Superstar” – because her own velvet and sultry pipes are able to convey any emotion there is, and she’s been covering a lot of ground for two decades now, shining a light across six studio albums as a solo artist, not counting the platters the lady cut with her father. Still, it’s to the great Victor Brox, who passed away in February 2023, that his daughter dedicates her forthcoming concert album, preserved for posterity the following month.
Not that R.E.M. ever needed validation of their pop-rock credentials, and the band had their fair share of covers, yet it must be a special sign of peer respect when one’s songs are recorded by none other than the great Micky Dolenz, the last standing member of THE MONKEES – even if there are only four cuts and these will see the light of day only on vinyl and CD.
