The 68th FYC Album – Various Artists (reviewed by Dave Franklin)

It’s that time of year again. As we head into Grammy Weekend, thoughts turn to new music, particularly the artists being considered for this most illustrious of music industry accolades. And each year, Bongo Boy Records collaborates with FYC by MoPromo to create a carefully curated sample of the most outstanding tracks of the moment, representing and reflecting where the music industry is right now, not to mention the ever-changing tastes of the discerning music consumer. These selections also give a good indication of the standard of music accepted into the 1st Voting Ballot by The Recording Academy™ for those awards. And if it makes that grade, as these have, then it is music that you really need to be taking notice of, don’t you think?

But that’s enough of the history lesson, let’s get down to the serious job of having a good time, and with this album, you will have a great time.

We kick off with “Plain As the Noes on Her Lips,” courtesy of Gar Francis and Sapphire Star Studios representing the country music makers, a groovesome slice of country-rock but soaked in some soulful horns and lyrically getting that blend of narrative and humour, reality and hi-jinks just right. Not a bad way to start.

Scott McDonald then takes us into the rock realms, “Circling The Drain” being one of those songs that is both anthemic and full of big, contagious grooves, but balances out that expansive sound with superb harmonies and salvos of brass, punchy piano, and big guitar riffs, making it effortlessly easy on the ear and demanding that you get down and boogie.

And after the perfect one-two to open the album up, things settle down thanks to Monique Grimme‘s more measured and mellifluous “Cut By A Rose.” Like many of her songs, it is hard to place in a genre; it is somehow both understated and ornate, a timeless blend of laid-back rock traits and an almost ambient mood, both familiar-sounding and creatively fresh. A heady combination indeed!

Inches From Sin can always be relied on to deliver something unique, even when found on an album where they are surrounded by unique songs. “Pickle” blends…well, almost everything! You name it, they have it – skittering trap beats, eastern sonics, banks of warm harmonies, pop accessibility, rock riffs – all swirling around in the most hypnotic of ways. Genre-free and full of life!

Representing the more ambient or New Age side of today’s music, Natasha Marin‘s “Integratron” is built on a gentle ebb and flow of drifting sonics and electronic soundscaping. Meditative and mysterious, it is an ever-evolving instrumental soundscape that expands the listener’s mind and reminds us of the nature of musical expression. Not everything has to be the three-minute pop song. This is music as acoustic art!

It is down to Guy Renardeau and Lyia Meta to follow that, and they do with the most gorgeous and delicate slice of acoustica. “I Breathe Your Name” sits somewhere between folk finesse and classical grace, a song built simply on the most dexterous finger-picked guitar and Meta’s captivating voice, one that runs all the way from understatement to near-operatic.

Monique Grimme returns with “The Ballad of the Humble Clove,” aided and abetted by Sapphire Star Studios, once more, and again a sublime blend of contrasts at work to create her now signature sound – beat and beauty, understament and groove, sentiment and soundscaping.

And while you are right to associate Simonne Draper with the precision and understatement of the classical guitar, and here, she teams up with Richman to blend those deft six strings with gorgeous cascades of piano and haunting banks of luminous vocal choruses. And then the whole thing is expertly and, perhaps unexpectedly, underpinned by busy clubland beats and euphoric energies, and “Dolorosa MMXXV,” an excellent mixing of worlds, is born. Opposites attract!

And, of course, you can always count on The NEW Bardots to bring the rock and roll to the party, and “Darkest Day” is no exception. The smart thing about these guys is that they know the genre needs little tinkering with to move with the times; all the hard work has been done, and the formula works. All they need to do is take that honed template and polish it enough so that it is perfect for the tastes of the modern audience. Not only is that precisely what is going on here, but you can also almost see the ghosts of rock and roll greats dancing along to this venerated yet versatile sound.

As we head for the finish line, things remain an ever-changing blend of sounds from right across the musical map. The Bentley Project draws us back into an ambient and immersive world with the acoustic beauty and haunting musicality of “Distant Thunder,” a seductive array of piano and harp, violins, voice as instrument, and even the sound of the breaking of the titular storm. “Lovely Love” sits at the opposite end of the spectrum, E G Holmes and Willow Layne the epitome of jaunty, pedal-steel-soaked country cool, and the uncategorizable Inches From Sin rounds things off with “Just One Flame,” a skittering, beat-driven merging of urban pop and echoes of old-school soul balladry.

Now that is what I call an eclectic mix of music, a collection that shows you just how broad and brilliant the modern music scene is these days, how diverse and adventurous, how it caters to any, and indeed, all tastes. You wanted to know what was going on in the music world today, Bongo Boy, as always, delivered.

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