Heaven And Earth - Hole in the Rain LSM 4010
John Martyn
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Heaven And Earth
Absolute
Completed just prior to his passing in January 2009.
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Absolute
Completed just prior to his passing in January 2009.
It is a wee bit bizarre that what is British singer/songwriter/guitarist John Martyn's final studio album begins with him singing "Don't make me laugh, I might die laughing." That song, Heel Of The Hunt, also features Phil Collins singing a spectral-like refrain that calls for the singer to "Be at peace now."
Our critics review the best and worst of this week's new releases...
POP
John Martyn: Heaven And Earth
Absolute Recordings, £11.99 ***
On Record
The week's essential new releases
Absolute
Heaven And Earth
Hole In The Rain,
out tomorrow
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The current, Brits-endorsed interpretation of folk music, in which well-heeled young people dress as canal workers and sing about imagined old times, doesn't really legislate for someone like John Martyn.
I've spent the last week feasting on John Martyn via Spotify. He was a gap in my musical education. He turns out, as a large portion of you reading already well know, to be a rich, raw talent. I knew his rep but had a misguided notion he was another blueprint for whiny contemporary singer-songwriters. All that reveals is my own ignorance.
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John Martyn's valedictory recordings have a suitably weary presence that makes even such legendary laidback soporificos as J J Cale and Leonard Cohen seem positively sprightly by comparison.
Two years after his death, the final recordings by the ground-breaking Glaswegian are released.
Although now regularly cited as an influence by many (and audibly so), it is over three decades since Martyn's career was at a peak, but technology has since made copying his technical innovations possible, and his vocal range –from light-voiced yearning to blues growl– is the aim of many.