Black Coffee by Beth Hart & Joe Bonamassa
Black Coffee was the third collaborative album recorded by Beth Hart and Joe Bonamassa
These two clearly enjoy collaborating and it has always showed on the cover albums they have made together. This one is no exception and it sounds like they are having a rollicking good time. Kevin Shirley is back in the producer’s chair as per the previous two albums and he seems to get the best out of his performers as usual. Another eclectic mix of song choices also helps and I find this an enjoyable listen from start to finish.
Favourite track: “Black Coffee”, the Ike & Tina Turner cover which serves as the album’s title track
American Utopia by David Byrne
American Utopia is the 8th studio album released by David Byrne
This album is Byrne’s first solo studio album since 2004 and it was released as part of a larger multimedia project called Reasons To Be Cheerful. The project aimed to spread positivity in spite of political strife and environmental problems. It is an upbeat album accordingly and was the first of David Byrne solo albums to reach the top ten in the Billboard album charts. It is a quirky and enjoyable album and the corresponding tour culminated in performances on Broadway resulting in the second best concert film of Byrne’s career.
Favourite track: The lead single “Everybody’s Coming To My House”
Eat The Elephant by A Perfect Circle
A Perfect Circle’s 4th studio album was released 14 years after its predecessor
Despite a difficult birth due to the writing process, scheduling conflicts and disagreement on the album’s sound, the album was a return to form for A Perfect Circle and an instant success. Coming on the back of four singles released prior to the album’s launch, it debuted at number 3 in the US charts and top ten in eight other countries. The album also received critical acclaim and for me is the best of their career to date.
Favourite track: “So Long And Thanks For All The Fish”
Book Of Bad Decisions by Clutch
Book Of Bad Decisions is the 12th studio album released by American rock band Clutch
Although I am a fan of Clutch, this album snuck up on me in a way. I was not aware that it was coming until I read an article about it in a music magazine. I jumped on a copy as quickly as I could and it went on high rotation immediately. It was a critical and commercial success reaching the top 20 in the UK, Hungary, Germany and the US.
Favourite track: The horn-laden “In Walks Barbarella” with an honourable mention to “Hot Bottom Feeder” which is essentially a catfish recipe
Beloved Antichrist by Therion
For their sixteenth studio release Therion unleashed the triple album epic Beloved Antichrist
Beloved Antichrist was intended as the soundtrack to a rock musical by the band, who are accompanied by a large orchestra and choir. The founder of the group, Christofer Johnsson, finally decided to do metal/rock music with opera instead of a traditional opera. The result is an epic more than three hours in length, featuring electric rock band instruments, operatic singing and accompanied by an orchestra. As a fan of Therion for more than two decades, this was right up my alley and I think it nothing short of a masterpiece.
Favourite track: “Shoot Them Down!” although it seems wrong to select one song from what is a cohesive whole
The Slabthrower 