Audiophile Digital

Steve Cropper & The Midnight Hour
Friendly Town
Provogue Records PRD77352

Still rocking at 83, Cropper – No 36 on Rolling Stone’s list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time – remains inseparable from his soul output as a member of Booker T & the M.G.’s and The Blues Brothers’ band. His solos, however, of which this is around his 15th, show another side. The same swampy, rootsy feel of his work as an M.G. remains, but this stunning set is more rock/country/blues than Stax-y – and just as funky. Why it stands out is the calibre of the group he’s assembled and the guests he attracts: Queen’s Brian May, ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons (on shared lead guitar throughout), Free/Bad Company’s Simon Kirke on drums and his previous collaborator, The Rascals’ Felix Cavaliere. File under ‘Supersession’. KK

Sound Quality: 95%

Sturtz
Live At Roots Music Project
Octave OCT-0042

Octave has been recording more and more performances at local venues, this time at Boulder, Colorado’s Roots Music Project, and the music lives up to the name. Colorado is a legalised pot/hippie retirement state, so a mellow vibe is to be expected. Sturtz consists of Andrew Sturtz (vocals, guitar and song-writing skills), Jim Herlihy (banjo), Courtlyn Carpenter (cello) and Will Kuepper (bass), the latter pair also supplying backing vocals. It’s a smorgasbord of folk, soul and bluegrass, reminiscent of various late-1960s/early-’70s Left Coast outfits such as The Youngbloods. This is an Octave DSD recording, also available as downloads in various resolutions. KK

Sound Quality: 90%

Mud
The RAK Years 1973–75
7T’s Records OGLAM2CD203 (two discs)

COMPACT DISC
A perfect companion (perfect, that is, if you’re a Boomer for whom glam rock is a guilty pleasure) to the earlier Mud – The Singles 1973–80 [OGLAMBOX197], this arguably will prove more satisfactory for those who only care about the peak years. In addition to the group’s first two albums – Mud Rock Volume 1 and Mud Rock Volume 2 – on one CD, the second disc contains all the non-LP material from the period. This band may be a footnote in rock history, but with ‘Tiger Feet’, ‘Dyna-Mite’, and especially ‘Lonely This Christmas’, they certainly helped to define an era and a genre. Just try not to picture Jimmy Savile introducing them on Top Of The Pops. KK

Sound Quality: 85%

Catfish
Time To Fly
Catfish CF10

Although a different bird, the cover image and title make it impossible not to conjure up the term ‘swansong’ – this is the UK band’s final album following the passing last year of lead guitarist and front man, Matt Long, at the too-young age of 29. As with posthumous releases from Eva Cassidy, this was assembled from various recordings, demos and works-in-progress, but such is modern technology that it has a coherent feel. The material is uniformly excellent, sounding more American South than British, the tracks ranging from bluesy hard rock that wouldn’t disappoint on a Humble Pie album, to the majestic ‘Don’t Turn Around’. Available from www.catfishband.com. KK

Sound Quality: 85%