STEVE SKAITH
LATIN QUARTER: BARE BONES
Available NOW!
We all have those bands that we
absolutely love yet they have not achieved the critical and commercial success
that they so rightly deserve. Latin
Quarter is one of those bands for me.
I’ve listened to the band for nearly 30 years and, apart from a UK hit
with “Radio Africa” in 1985, the band still remains largely unknown here in the
U.S. Latin Quarter has existed off and on - and under the radar - for three
decades, releasing seven studio albums and a handful of compilations. The band’s political leanings may be the
reason that many people have been unable to grasp their greatness, but if you
immerse yourself in their musical world, you’ll discover a band that knows its
way around a great tune. Emotive, smart, melodic and thought-provoking, LQ’s
songs are, for the most part, penned by guitarist/vocalist Steve Skaith and lyricist Mike
Jones. The band were – and still are – difficult to pigeonhole yet the
songs transcend all genres. Blend the folk elements of Bob Dylan, the worldly grooves of Peter Gabriel and the
off-kilter ‘80s strut of Thompson Twins and The Fixx and…. Well, that doesn’t quite describe them either but it’s
a start.
In between stints with Latin
Quarter, Steve Skaith has released a handful of solo albums, all of them worthy
of your time. This latest release, Latin Quarter: Bare Bones, is the
best of the bunch and is one of the finest albums in his long career. On this
album, Skaith has revisited 10 Latin Quarter tracks, stripped them down to
their ‘bare bones’ (ie: just guitar and piano) and manages to breathe new life
into these timeless songs. With a mix of
the band’s most well-known tracks – “America For Beginners,” “Swimming Against
The Stream,” and “No Rope As Long As Time” – as well as key album tracks, the
acoustic approach focuses on the most important aspects of the Skaith/Jones partnership:
the music and lyrics. While that may
seem like a no-brainer, if you listen to the original versions, many of the
recordings tended to have a studio polish that sometimes added a layer of
cotton candy to the meat of the songs - Bare
Bones strips all of that way and gives these songs a new lease on
life. Recorded by Skaith and LQ
keyboardist Steve Jeffries, this is
a truly moving collection of tracks. When the piano takes over for the chorus
of album opener “Swimming Against The Stream”, it feels like angels taking
flight. The simple, yet moving, arrangement of “America
For Beginners” makes it sound fresh all over again. It’s great to hear Steve handle lead on “No
Rope As Long As Time” and “The Men Below,” both sung by the band’s female vocalists on the original
albums.
Speaking of female vocalist, Bare
Bones’ final track, “Wounded In Action,” is sung by Jeffries’ daughter Becky CJ, who gives an absolutely
lovely folk-influenced performance that is heart-breaking. She’s an internet sensation, you know. Check her out.
Latin
Quarter: Bare Bones is proof that you can still make effective, emotive and powerful protest music
in this day and age. One of the best albums of the
year by far.
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