Chris Tavener

Ralph's never averse to a bit of quirkyness and young Manchester based singer songwriter Chris Tavener has imbued his new EP i'm sorrdy b'im drunnk with no small amount of it. If you're old enough remember the unique stylings of the inimitable Jake Thackry you'll understand...no? Just me then.

It's four tracks of lyrically clever musical goodness that's a delight to listen to. Kicking off with the single release from the EP Super Cool Sadie with it's satirical look at unrequited love and it's a lyrical hoot.









Likewise Chris Tavener gives folky hat tip to the young lovers of today, Modern Romance (She's So Drunk) is as cleverly written and incisive as it is listenable.

Next up Apocalypse Prediction is a short, sharp and highly amusing Americana-esque look at the end of the world.

He finishes off with some cynical skiffle-like fun in the shape of Boy I'm Better Than You which is getting a spin on Ralph's Radio KC Indie Show this Sunday (5th June) from 5-7pm. Tune in for a lyrical treat from Chris Tavener, you won't be sorry! Failing that just download the EP from christavener.bandcamp.com 
and listen at your leisure.

Tony Steele and The Massacre

Needless to say, it's nice to be on the guest-list for a Cast gig however, Ralph's primary mission was to check out the support act on the evening Tony Steele and The Massacre whose new single was previewed on the blog late last year. let's face it, Cast are hardly going to be struggling for reviews.

They are currently embarking on a 20th-anniversary tour and this evening they were taking The Citadel Theatre in St Helens by storm. Not too difficult a task that being said as the audience was mainly made up of gentlemen of a certain age who were long time fans (some probably from John Power's Las' days) and had spent most of the evening previously in the bar. 



To their detriment as it happens, as Tony Steele and The Massacre played an immaculate set of well-crafted songs, some Americana-esque some just plain rockin' it out. Whilst the pre-Cast crowd was relatively small they quickly warmed to the band and Tony in particular, as he put every ounce of his energy into the set.

Kicking off with the slightly psychedelic Americana-style Feel Love they showed that they'd formed a well drilled, tight unit. Tony's rough-edged vocal bringing the song to life. It was quickly followed by a slightly countrified track called A Ballad Of Dead Love which bounced into a skiffle vibe that Lonnie Donnegan would have been proud of.

With thanks to @BazzaMills for the photograph

I'm Back Home was reminiscent of early Faces tracks around the time of the classic Long Player album and again Tony's vocal carried it to a higher level and that was carried through into the more upbeat, crowd-pleasing One More Chance with its folky, rebel song vibe.

Next up, Along The Right Track had a feel of The Animals to it before turning into a real foot-stomper and the band proving they were committed to their craft with solid musicality throughout. 





Penultimate track Fake Love had a cross-over Americana feel again, with shades of The Eagles brought up to date by being infused with Daughtry-like guitar and drums.

Finishing with a bit of a rock 'n' rolla Tony's strong, individual vocalising brought Bound to Collide to life and left me wondering how long it will be before Tony Steele and The Massacre take their rightful place as the headline act on a bigger stage.

Nina Baker

What's the best way to get Ralph to sit up and take notice?  Be in possession of a unique voice, write cleverly crafted songs and send him a CD of your immaculately produced new album.  That's exactly what happened when singer/songwriter Nina Baker's latest album 'Quite Frankly' slipped through the letter box last week.

Influenced by the smooth tones of Ella Fitzgerald & Nina Simone, the technical brilliance of Lang Lang and the creativity of Tori Amos, Kate Bush and Amy Winehouse, Nina Baker is a fusion musical styles all interwoven with piano riffs, emotive lyrics and an original vocal quality.  All of the above are displayed to excellent effect in the 'Quite Frankly' album. Tracks on the album range from whimsical to introspective and humourous ('Little Fibs' for a single?) to poignant.

Nina was hand-picked by BBC Introducing to attend their 2013 Master Class and came runner-up in MTV's Brand New for 2013 unsigned competition, beating over 500 acts to reach the final and the MTV select panel stated that "Nina brought something really unique to the competition, a mixture of light and dark makes her songs stand out”. 





In less than 3 years she has grown her fan base and profile across the UK and Europe through printed, online and broadcasted media, and with her dynamic live show - performing at venues such as The o2 Academy & The Norwich Waterfront and at festivals such as Latitude & Godiva Festival. 

For 18 months Nina has been writing and recording her debut album with a range of prominent music-makers. It's an album of two halves. The core of the album was recorded at Rockfield Studios Monmouth, under the stewardship of Nick Brine. Sessions at Red Kite Studios with Martin Levan (Iron Maiden, Andrew Lloyd-Webber, Sarah Brightman), Andrew Griffiths in Swansea and with the Ebbw Vale Male Voice Choir only adds to the heavy Welsh influence. 




The other side of the album is distinctly a London affair. From The Kings Gospel Choir to the inspirational John Themis (Boy George, Kylie Minogue, Stevie Wonder, Sir Elton John) to string arrangements by Andy Bell and Sam Sweeney, the album will be one of the last made at The Church Studios in Crouch End. Mixed by Tristan Ivemy (Frank Turner, The Holloways, Billy Lockett) and mastered by Frank Arkwright at Abbey Road Studios, the album titled “Quite Frankly” (dedicated to her late grandfather Frank Baker) is a big-scale, uncompromising production. A roller-coaster of rhythm, soaring highs and wallowing lows, it is due for digital release on 6th January 2014.