The 66th FYC Album – Various Artists – Disc One (reviewed by Dave Franklin)

If Route 66 is an iconic route through the American landscape, offering a procession of changing vistas and extraordinary experiences where memories are made and new adventures await, then this, the 66th FYC album from Bongo Boy Records, is undoubtedly its sonic equivalent. For those wondering about the title, this compilation series features only artists who made it through to the first voting ballot For Your Consideration (FYC), which eventually made it to the nominees of the Grammy Awards®. How much more iconic can you get?

As this release is a double album, I approach each disc separately. To do justice to all of the great music on this twin album set, rather than presenting the reader with something erring towards the length of War and Peace, two reviews seemed the way to go. So, welcome to part one.

Talking of iconic experiences, what better way to kick things off than with Kick The Wicked covering Meatloaf’s timeless Paradise By The Dashboard Light? And as covers go, you would be hard-pressed to tell it apart from the original, and that is about the best thing you can say about a cover: it shows that the band “gets it.” Again, perhaps the finest accolade possible. And when it comes to kick-ass rock and roll, it is only natural that The NEW Bardots come along hot on its heels. Their ability to take all the fun and familiarity of rocks past and apply it to new, of-the-moment, fresh sonic experiences is the template other rock bands should use to plan their careers.

Luca’s Groove, courtesy of Frank Piombo, is a sassy and sultry Latin groover. This instrumental piece sways and sashays, moves, and, as the title suggests, grooves with effortless sass and sun-kissed sophistication. Sophistication is also the watch world for the next offering. Where the Livin’s is Good sees Angie Wells blending balmy blues with soulfulness, a song that could have been plucked right out of the Great American songbook: old school deftness and musical dexterity, old vibes for a new age.

Clark Ford and Underground Treehouse continue the vibe with a sultry, jazz-soul torch song, one that not only features a vocal delivery that is hard to better but which is in turn draped with loose and lovely drums, shimmering piano cascades and a saxophone that almost feels like a second vocal, ebbing and flowing throughout the song as if in response to the lead vocal. Gorgeous.

The Jon Kennedy Remix of Simonne Draper’s Eclipse takes us on a musical journey through blends of arabesque progressions and Middle Eastern spice. It is a slow sonic meander through exotic landscapes captured through equally mystical soundscapes, reminiscent of the sort of magic the likes of Loreena McKennitt weaves through her music.

A neat turn is made with the arrival of Maryann Stefanik’s Sharpen Your Knives, a growling and raw slice of rock and roll filled with all the menace and majesty that the likes of Siouxsie and the Banshees were the masters of, a blend of rock and roll growl and gothic malevolence. And from the naughty to the nice, Ban Brothers brings us something optimistic, lovely, and full of life in the form of Nothin’ Gets Lost, a neat slice of rootsy rock understatement, and Gar Francis brings us Blue Cadillac, a grooving piece of horn-infused, old-school bluesy, rock and roll as only he can.

This first half is put to bed with the beauty and bouncy Jerualema, a blend of digital beats and dancy vibes, courtesy of Mercy Alu, a beguiling piece of futuristic, left-field, alt-pop that seems to make more sense and become more addictive with each subsequent spin.

Ten fantastic songs in, ten incredible artists are experienced, and we are still only halfway through. See you on the other side.