And - Go! Discs 828 798-2
JOHN MARTYN
AND Go! Discs
• Martyn's debut for Go! Discs, home of Paul Weller, Portishead and Gabrielle.
• Martyn's debut for Go! Discs, home of Paul Weller, Portishead and Gabrielle.
Revivified by a change of label and aided by young hip-hop producer Stefon Taylor, the veteran songwriter delivers his best work in years.
Often as not, early days are unrevealing, and with The Tumbler (1968) it's not immediately obvious that John Martyn would subsequently take an odd electrical path.
Okay, okay, I know John Martyn has been making music since the dawn of time and his albums always sell well, but that doesn't mean I have to like them.
The deep and textured voice is similar to that of Kenny Rogers or Bill Medley, the arrangements bring Steely Dan or Sting to mind, but the songs themselves are almost instantly forgettable.
It's a puzzle: why has singer/ guitarist John Martyn released almost the same album twice?
John Martyn has had passionate fans for years, but I haven't been one.
There are times on No Little Boy when John Martyn gets the sort of jazzy groove going that would make Sade swoon, and times when his music has enough pop effervescence to make Sting seem stuffy.
Martyn attracts other superstars for these new recordings of his signature songs, among them Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour and The Band's Levon Helm.