Latest CD releases reviewed

JOHN HIATT
Master of Disaster New West Records *****

John Hiatt's wonderfully seasoned voice tells these vivid and wry stories from a life rich in incident, memory and imagination. They bring alive a disparate collection of characters, some real, others imagined, but all patrolling the margins of a cruel world, such as the chilling duo of Cold River. For this, amazingly his 21st album, the 52-year-old turned to esteemed veteran Memphis producer Jim Dickinson, his two sons, Luther and Cody from the Mississippi Allstars, and a bunch of grizzled Memphis session players, including bassist David Hood. The result is a gritty, bluesy, brassy, soulful record of classic roots rock, its sound and tone defined by the opening title track as Hiatt's gnarled vocal is set against Jim Spake's craggy saxophone in a tale of bittersweet reflection. The pace changes repeatedly, but Hiatt and Dickinson, with a minimum of fuss, never lose the plot. Class doesn't age. www.johnhiatt.com Joe Breen

ROBBIE FULKS
Georgia Hard Yep Roc Records ***

This is a country record. It is not alt.country, not Americana, not twang'n' roll. Yet it is by a singer-songwriter who once wrote a song for Nashville entitled F--- This Town. And lest you think that Robbie Fulks resorts to the vernacular because he is less than literate, this son of a bluegrass-loving academic has a real gift with lyrics. And he's not bad with a melody either, though his humour grates a little. Unfortunately, there are a couple of examples of the latter which detract from the strong songs, such as the grim story of Coldwater, Tennessee, the liquour-filled wordplay of Each Night I Try and All You Can Cheat, and the cautionary tale of If They Could Only See Me Now. Fulks likes his country old-fashioned, embellished by steel guitars, tough breaks and bottles of regret. When he sticks to that agenda he's all that Nashville once was. www.yeproc.com Joe Breen

KOSHKA
Shara Circular Records ***

Glaswegian-based trio Koshka are the noughties' answer to the electrifying duelling duet of Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli - albeit without scaling the vertiginous heights that their forebears managed. This, their debut recording, is a busy mix of gypsy, klezmer, jazz and classical undertones, a kind of eastern European jambalaya. Individually Koshka are hugely talented (with former Loyko violinist Oleg Ponomarev pairing with Rostov String quartet violinist Lev Atlas and English guitarist Nigel Clark), but collectively their identity is simply too splintered to satisfy. The stringed dissonance of Smelka is countered deliciously by the loping eloquence of Jasmina, but the urge to sample incessantly from so many different styles leaves the listener tired and emotional. Sometimes it's better to please just a few of the people some of the time. www.koshka.uk.com Siobhán Long