Audiophile Digital

Rock Workshop
Anthology 1970-1971
Strawberry Records CR3JAMBX36 (three discs)

Aside from a bare mention in Alex Harvey’s entry in Wikipedia, little coverage exists of this superlative band of studio pros and they’re completely new to me. Sounding not unlike the UK’s answer to LA’s ‘Wrecking Crew’ and a mix of Blood Sweat & Tears and The Average White Band, the 12-piece Rock Workshop produced soulful ‘big band’ rock. This set contains their two albums and a slew of bonus tracks and demos. Harvey was involved with the first album, while the players are connected to enough artists to make for a tangled family tree: Graham Bond Organisation, Georgie Fame and The Blue Flames, The John Barry Seven and more. The musicianship is peerless, while its sound quality merits our Album Choice. KK

Sound Quality: 90%

Jeff Goldblum & The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra
Still Blooming
Decca 7541773

Like fellow actor-cum-pianist Hugh Laurie, who surprised us all with a couple of accomplished blues albums a decade-plus ago, the ever-charming and versatile Goldblum has indulged in his love for standards with a series of releases, this being his third. His septet is aided and abetted by no less than Ariana Grande, while another guest, Scarlett Johansson, has proven repeatedly that she’s a superb singer and she excels here on ‘The Best Is Yet To Come’. Don’t think that this is mere self-indulgence by an actor who has starred in some of cinema’s biggest hits: this would still delight even if from an unknown. KK

Sound Quality: 90%

Brian Nova
They Say It’s Wonderful
Octave Records OCT-0061

As with Stella Cole last month and Jeff Goldblum this month, there’s certainly proof of a hunger for elegant, popular standards. But unlike their fuller instrumental accompaniments, Nova has chosen to back this mix of a dozen familiar and not-so-familiar gems, mainly from the Great American Songbook, with vocals and acoustic guitar supported solely by upright bass and drums. It has the delicious sparseness and attitude of Chet Baker’s singing sessions, and it’s refreshing to hear ‘Give Me The Simple Life’ alongside ‘I’ve Got The World On A String’ and ‘But Not For Me’. Sonically? Don’t invest in an SACD player without taking this along for the demo. KK

Sound Quality: 90%

Steely Dan
The Royal Scam
Analogue Productions CAPP138SA

Most listeners tend to name Aja or maybe Gaucho as the go-to Steely Dan albums, and I’ll admit to being partial to their debut, while this stunner from 1976 – their fifth release – tends to be among the overlooked. And yet it is quintessential Dan, and the album which gave us guaranteed classics in ‘Kid Charlemagne’, ‘Haitian Divorce’ and ‘The Fez’. Although the jazz-inflected rock genre has been maligned of late with the sarcastic epithet ‘Yacht Rock’, this album is utterly gorgeous and continually rewarding, especially for rock devotees who love cryptic lyrics and superior musicianship. If you can’t afford the UHQR vinyl, it’s sublime on SACD. KK

Sound Quality: 90%