The Bongo Boy Rock ‘n’ Roll TV – Episode 06 Season 15 – Oh Mother (reviewed by Dave Franklin)

It seems that more music than ever is being made these days, too much, really, so finding artists worthy of your time can feel overwhelming. How do you separate the sonic wheat from the musical chaff? How do you find the worthy in all the white noise? Curators, people actively shortlisting the music to a fraction of the whole, a hand to lead you through the maze of sound, are more important than ever.

Bongo Boy Rock ‘n’ Roll TV serves as that guiding hand, cutting through the noise to champion genuine talent and distinctive voices. This compilation is more than a collection of songs; it is a carefully chosen journey through today’s most compelling independent music.

This episode opens with the title track of Monique Grimme‘s new album, Magic of Positivity (Sonic Ritual), one of a number of her songs featured on the show, which seems, in part, to serve as a showcase for her music. But that is perhaps only to be expected given her release rate, a rate more in line with the 60’s than the modern day. “Magic of Positivity (Sonic Ritual)” is a sound that ebbs and flows, gently washing over the listener, with the ancient past and distant lands captured in its drifting groove and ritualistic vocals, whispered words, and exotic guitar lines. In these respects, it feels reminiscent of the arabesque sound of Loreena McKennitt, and that isn’t a bad comparison to have leveled at you.

And from the sacred and the secret, Sapphire Star ft. Monique Grimme brings us something more fun in the form of “Diddle Diddy Dee”, not that the previous wasn’t fun, but you know what I’m saying. It’s the sound of the energy of country roll and roll meeting pop infectiousness, meets Pat Benatar – it’s a party groove forged from seriously sophisticated music.

Monique Grimme returns with “Extra-Ordinary,” a song built on a beat that feels as if it were formed from the shifting sands themselves, serving as a platform for a voice-led, rising anthem. Monique’s life-affirming and uplifting message is backed by a tribal-esque choir whose massed ranks create a sound that sits between Karl Jenkins and Paul Simon’s Graceland; primal music conjured into the modern age.

Samantha Star Stefanik‘s “Mama Said” is also a touch of the past reworked for a contemporary audience, a deft country-blues ballad, graceful and to the point, words of down-to-earth, matriarchal wisdom set to a strumed acoustic and just a few drifting electric guitar lines crisscrossing behind it. The video sets the scene, almost suggesting that this could be the theme song from a western yet to be filmed, reminding us that such honest and humble words are pertinent and poignant in any age.

Monique Grimme takes us back to Africa with “Go Beyond.” But, rather than the ancient Egyptian setting of the songs we have heard so far, here we find ourselves in the continent’s mysterious interior. The backing vocals become as much a part of the rhythm as the percussion behind them, and the message is simple: push yourself to do more, to be more; the fear of the unknown can actually be a positive act.

“The Bottom,” from Orange Animal, is understated in a different way. If “Go Beyond” finds its calm in a hushed and hazy environment, here it is found in a spacious anthemic, one where each note or word is cocooned in an equal amount of atmosphere, a piano ballad and torch song that seems to land on the listener in the same way that Hazel O’Connor‘s majestic “Stay Now” does – dark and delicious, pained and personal.

“You’re The Rock in My Life” sees Monique Grimme play us out in a suitably nostalgic and heartwarming fashion, celebrating the guiding light who made her who she is today. Her mother. But beyond the personal feelings, it is a sentiment we can all relate to; we all have someone in our lives to whom we could dedicate such a song, and we should never forget their importance.

And then we are done, another collection of some of the best music around, another well-selected shortlist for you to fit into your busy lives. It’s what Bongo Boy does, and does so well.