Church With One Bell, A - John Martyn

Advantages: Highly original and relaxing acoustic guitar songs, superbly played
Disadvantages: Inferior bonus tracks might interfere with the mood of the album for some.

...John Martyn was a very talented British singer/songwiter/musician, who attracted a strong interest and following during the 1970s (less so in the '80s),.But he enjoyed little commercial recognition, despite his best albums selling steadily over the years. Although Martyn started out as a folk artist in the late 1960s, by the time of this release, jazz and blues influences had crept into his repertoire. By the '80s, Martyn's studio albums had changed noticeably in musical style, devoid of any folk influence, but not some might say, for the better. Bless The Weather, released in 1971 is John Martyn's fifth album, and arguably his best. It originally included ten tracks, nine songs plus one superb instrumental jam. What the original album managed to achieve is the near perfect blend of contemporary folk and jazz... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Provides a great introduction to John Martyns folk, blues, and jazz fusion
Disadvantages: Only contains work from 71-87

...This is truly a sweet little mystery of fusion music. I found that the cd indulged varied styles from jazz to tradition folk. Anyone who has an interest in chilled jazz or acoustic music will regard the compilation highly. Very good value for money and the hardcore fans will get what they want due to a cleverly compiled album. A good insight to John Martyns work over these 16 years however this is also the miner flaw as his earlier work is regarded as the best, and this version of Spencer the rover is not his greatest, as I would have preferred his live recording. A strong album of life with underlining jazz rhythms and melodies with an influence of skip James tweaking. A album of pure effortless elegance. Truly experimental, relaxing and meaningful tunes.... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful

Advantages: Great guitars, honest and powerful lyrics
Disadvantages: Depends whether you like the genre

...Martyn Joseph - Martyn Joseph Just before Christmas, we went to see Martyn Joseph at Haren Church, near Brussels airport. I don't not what surprised me more, that a Welsh singer-songwriter should turn up at a small venue in cold, dark Flanders or that this was the fifth successive year he had been there. We had seen him once before, back at Spring Harvest in Minehead in 1996, and had a couple of his albums. One of these, the eponymously entitled Martyn Joseph is the subject of this review. = MARTYN JOSEPH - WHO IS HE? = Martyn Joseph was born in Penarth in 1960, and came to prominence in the 1980s, primarily among Christian circles. As he said in his self-deprecating manner at the concert, he was originally classified as a rock and pop artist, then this changed to folk, and most recently, a new category has been found... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful