Darren Smith, Fairground Attraction, Chip Taylor

DARREN SMITH – ANGEL FLIGHT
I am immediately struck by the "jaguar-stepping bass", a term patented by yours truly to indicate that particularly engaging groove, even if applied to slow, not particularly driven songs. Beautiful arrangement, minimal, without amazing gimmicks, the riff that Darren repeats throughout the song is splendid, you find yourself humming dreamily for the whole day «Come on brother I'm taking you home…», with the others they look at you as if you came from Saturn.
Patience, it's the power of music, beauty.
Superior

FAIRGROUND ATTRACTION – HALLELUIAH
Band made of one voice: this is the truth of Alleluia.
In fact, Eddi Reader holds on to this passage, the others make the wallpaper: they are there, all right, but they are not necessary.
Colored voice, tending towards dark blue, poignant and seductive, the song makes you raise two intense and opposite feelings to the level of guard: restlessness and peace. The timbre of the double bass takes you towards peace, Eddi, when he climbs it shakes you to the core.
Indecipherable beauty

CHIP TAYLOR – HOLD HER
I recently wore him, but this voice is extraordinary. That's enough and the rest is upholstery, even if it's beautiful. A little guitar that paws around, an electric piano that creeps in little by little and then explodes – in short, almost – in the standard instrumental, with a few skilful notes and a lot of poetry.
From then on she could let it go, she was already perfect like this. But it doesn't look bad, Chip's voice always deserves.
Nocturnal

Find it on youtube.com
Gianni Giletti
NP April 2023