Wolf Alice – Blue Weekend

I wanted to choose a record that had come out this year, just to show a more varied palette. And to prove to my sister that I don’t just listen to ‘old people music’!

Of course it’s always personal opinion, but I strongly feel Blue Weekend is already the album of 2021. I’ve been a fan of Wolf Alice’s since the beginning but this album is another great step forward.

It’s great that they complimented each song with a short film as each track does carry a cinematic sheen. Songs are muscular yet tender, Ellie Rowsell’s voice is able to soar and sigh in equal measure.

Van Morrison – Moondance

I can only describe the feeling I had from hearing this record for the first time by paraphrasing one of the song titles – it stoned me. I felt enraptured, enthralled and agog from the wide-ranging musicianship, the infectious melodies and Morrison’s soulful bellow.

And It Stoned Me paints a vivid picture of childhood innocence and dreary trudges, but it’s the way each song is embellished and decorated that wows me – the flourishes of sax, the strident horn sections, the textural guitar arpeggios. It’s a real masterpiece.

It’s a record I always turn to, no matter what mood I am in. There’s a zip and exuberance to many of the songs here, especially Caravan and Glad Tidings. For me, it cements Morrison as one of the world’s most potent songwriters and most powerful singers.

It has that signature Muscle Shoals sound which I love. On that note, I’d also highly recommend Boz Scaggs’ self-titled debut album from 1969. Blue-eyed soul at its finest.

Teenage Fanclub – Grand Prix

Coming of age in the early noughties, I wasn’t so enamoured with the radio as I was with the music channels. I owe a debt of gratitude to my mother for forking out for Sky because, without her, I wouldn’t have had daily exposure to MTV, The Amp, Q and VH2…which is where I discovered this beautiful band.

The first song I heard was The Concept and if you know those opening lines then you know it’s impossible not to become hooked. I was 14 and nervously, naively navigating my way through music – wanting to try on a few different threads to see what fit. Teenage Fanclub were perfect for me.

I managed to persuade my brother to buy me a copy of Grand Prix from MVC in Wolverhampton. When I got home, I put on About You and everything changed. It became the blueprint for the way I create songs.

I love everything about this record but, principally I adore David Bianco’s production. The guitars are crisp and fuzzy without ever being too murky or grungy. The harmonies are sterling. The songs are tastefully arranged.

The way I play guitar is quite trebly, quite melodic and with a light guitar crunch, and that’s definitely because of Grand Prix.

Paul Simon – Graceland

I have always been drawn to innovators, musicians that expand upon their sound with each record. In terms of bands, you have the likes of Arctic Monkeys and Radiohead, and with solo musicians you have St Vincent, Beck, Elvis Costello and the legend that is Paul Simon.

Simon’s work with Garfunkel is amazing – those two voices in perfect harmony and those irresistible melodies, but I love the music that Simon has released on his own.

He has always retained his sense of melody, his wistful singing voice and his wry songwriting, but repackaged it in new and exciting forms. Graceland is his magnum opus.

The musicianship is incredible. I applaud Simon for his vision, determination and drive in bringing together so many amazing musicians and helping to bring the vibrant music of Africa to the mainstream.

Ladysmith Black Mambazo are the record’s MVPs, and their beautiful voices on the sparse Homeless always send a shiver down my spine. Elsewhere, you have the resplendent guitars of Under African Skies and the surging brass of Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes.

My favourite song is the title track. It stands out a little because it’s more of a vintage American rock song, but that wandering bass and the twinkling guitars make it stand out, as do Simon’s downbeat lyrics. It’s one of the best songs ever written.

Joni Mitchell – Blue

There’s no one like Joni Mitchell, in my opinion. She’s a unique singer-songwriter and such an individual guitarist. She’s made a number of fantastic albums but the recent fiftieth anniversary of Blue hits home how much of a landmark LP this is.

River aches with longing, but my favourite song is A Case Of You – it’s a strong message from Joni, that she will take you and your shit but you’ll never knock her down. Powerful.

Bob Dylan – Blood on the Tracks

It was a brutally cold December when Bob Dylan and his young son Jakob first entered the studio to lay down Blood on the Tracks. When not chain smoking cigarettes, he was trying to get his hastily recruited backing band to understand his vision. After a while, Blood on the Tracks became the more intimate collection it is today.

It's a record that stops time. I always feel floored after listening to it. It is such a bare, brutal and brave album. Dylan continuously denies it being about a personal breakup, but I feel it must have happened to him due to the sheer emotional power that these songs convey.

The Beatles – Revolver

I’m sure I’m not alone in saying that this is not only my favourite Beatles album, but also my favourite album of all time. I have an appreciation of the icons that came before, people like Robert Johnson and BB King, but for me The Beatles really did put guitar music on the map for the masses.

Revolver kick-started my love of guitar music. Every song is drenched in beautiful harmonies and the needling guitar riffs in songs like And Your Bird Can Sing are positively infectious.

The Lemonheads – It’s A Shame About Ray

I feel that Evan Dando could be a lot more present than what he is. When I watch acoustic sessions on TV – stuff like NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts and the studios in the Paste library – I know that if Dando appeared, he’d kill it.

I’ve never seen a performer with such a strong understanding and talent for his craft. When he performs solo acoustically, he doesn’t fight against the emptiness, he embraces it. He knows that the silences are part of the song.

I’ve always felt that Dando’s work is underappreciated. Maybe it’s because he’s had such a sporadic recording career, but the music he has produced is such a wonderful mix of fizzy melodies and feisty guitar crunch.

It’s A Shame About Ray is his high-water mark. I’m desperately trying to find a copy on vinyl and of course it’s all relative depending on what you earn and what value you put on something, but at the moment every copy I’ve located is too expensive.

I’d urge anyone to give …Ray a listen. It’s a blissed out, pleasant and sun-kissed ride of gently strummed acoustics, rollicking drums and Dando’s own hangdog croon.

It certainly changed a lot for me. I don’t think I ever played guitar the same way after hearing this record. I loved the chord variations, the style, the levels, everything. It really inspired me as a songwriter. After …Ray, I started writing songs that I was proud of.

Bio

Sam Lambeth is an award-winning singer-songwriter from Wolverhampton, England. His most recent EP, Love and Exile, was released in May 2021. He performs regularly, as both a solo acoustic performer and with a full band.

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