Roots

This week's roots reviews

MICHAEL CARPENTER

Redemption #39

Big Radio Records***

I remain a sucker for power pop. Decent melodies, jangling guitars, warm harmonies, memorable hooks and singalong choruses – you won't find a better substitute for the missing sun. Alas, there are a few clouds in this collection by Australian indie power popper Michael Carpenter. When he is good, he is very good, as on the opening blast of Can't Go Back and the more restrained I'm Not Done With You, but the The King of the Scenewith its Killer Queenechoes, and the leaden rock of Workin' for a Livin'break the spell. He does find his rhythm again on the ballad Don't Let Me Down Again, before hitting something of a purple patch with a hat-trick of classy tunes ( Middle of Nowhere, I Want Everythingand Falling Down). With a couple of minor exceptions, he plays and sings everything, and though this is the latest in a long line of albums, it is clear from the lyrics that this is an album born of darkness and renewal. www.mcarp.com

Download tracks: Middle of Nowhere, I Want Everything

KENDEL CARSON

Alright Dynamite

Train Wreck Records****

Chip Taylor, a man famous for writing tunes such as Wild Thingand for being Angelina Jolie's uncle, has found another remarkable young woman with a violin, following the decision of Carrie Rodriguez to go solo. Kendel Carson is a 24-year-old Canadian fiddle player with a seriously good voice. Armed with a bunch of 13 strong songs written or co-written by Taylor (she co-writes four), plus a spicy cover of Janis Joplin's Mercedes Benz, Carson showcases a style that is never short of character. She can be soft and intimate, as on Ooh That Dress, Oh Baby Lie Down, Mexicoor the countryish One Blue Dress on the Line.She can also be brash, letting it rip on tracks such as I Don't Wanna Be Your Mother, Submarineand New Shoes. The oddest thing is that Taylor's songs fit her really well, and his backing vocals and intelligent production complete the picture convincingly. www.kendel carson.com

Download tracks: Ooh That Dress, Submarine