ALBUM REVIEWS: DAME SHIRLEY BASSEY and DEVENDRA BANHART
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Dame Shirley Bassey
The Performance
Geffen
Rating: 4/5
"Now I'm not quite so young, I'm not quite so foolish," admits Britain's most successful female artist on the poised, elegant opener Almost There, before it sweeps to a majestic peak. Her first album of all-new material in over 20 years features songs penned by the great and good, but it is Rufus Wainwright's Apartment that really sparkles. Its theatrical, Cinderella-inspired lyrics, sung over a gambol of Spanish guitar, horns and wry humour, takes our Shirl in a refreshing, contemporary direction. KT Tunstall's brassy Nice Men is also a cut above - meaning the rest, while immaculate, classy, moving and dramatic, leave a safe, trad taste in the mouth.
Devendra Banhart
What Will Be Will Be
Warner Bros. Records
Rating: 4/5
Bearded bohemian Banhart has gathered a devoted cult following over his last six albums, but how does his major label debut measure up? The wonderfully eclectic, idiosyncratic approach he took to making worldly folk music has been noticeably refined here, stripped of its 'how many instruments can we lay our hands on' feel. This gives the Texan's talent for simple songwriting some space to shine at least, with sunny strumalongs like Goin' Back, and the added focus leads to some stunningly intense moments - the funkily low-slung, dirty rock Rats is a particular highlight. Despite the title, Banhart & Co's new bevy of beats is focused, fun and fresh.
- STEPHEN MOORE
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