ROOTS

The latest releases reviewed.

CAREY OTT Lucid Dream Dualtone ****

There is a certain engaging, tousled-haired intensity to this impressive debut album. Carey Ott is a young Chicago bank teller who also happens to be a dab hand at writing songs that are redolent of lots of influences, from Lennon to Radiohead, and yet have sufficient individuality to remain very much his own work. The innocent love thoughts of Am I Just One give way to the brooding introspection of Daylight and his Thom Yorke impression, and then on to the spaciness of Hard to Change. Moods and pace shift all the time, yet the album never sounds frantic. There is much here to admire, not least Ott's intuitive grasp of the dynamics of quality American guitar pop and the way he stretches his voice into all the right places. And some of these melodies, such as the lovely, Lennonish Virginia, are just made to be played in lonely bedsits. www.careyott.com Joe Breen

JOAN BAEZ Ring Them Bells - Collectors Edition Proper Records ***

Originally released 12 years ago, this expanded double CD of what was clearly an epic concert at the Bottom Line in New York includes six new tracks and a booklet. Though the grand dame of folk was surrounded by a host of admiring female artists, including Mary Black (she sings on the title track), Baez' signature voice still commanded the stage, the stirring vibratto piercing the night with huge emotional resonance. The songs were well chosen: folk classics, Dylan covers and Baez standards, including her song about her relationship with Dylan, Diamonds & Rust, this time in a loose duet with Mary Chapin Carpenter. The latter's Stones in the Road is one of the added tracks, and overall the album retains its lustre despite its age, somewhat like Baez herself. www.joanbaez.com Joe Breen