(62:37: Griot) Portuguese band Griot were formed in 2014 by João Pascoal (bass, guitar, programming) and Sérgio Ferreira (drums, programming). In 2016 they released their debut concept album ‘Gerald’, and now they are back with ‘Elisabeth’ which concludes that story. Alongside the debut they released a 21-page book telling the story, and here they have gone even further by releasing one which is 60 pages long. Most bands, if they go to these lengths, provide lyrics and artwork but what we have here is a full-blown short story, so does the music accompany the book or is it the other way round? Neither of the lead singers, Maria Branco and João Rodrigues, were involved in the debut album but here they definitely own the characters they are portraying although there are some times, such as on “Atonement” when Maria does veer slightly offkey and her voice is more delicate than I might have expected give the force of the accompaniment. Musically the album is quite diverse, and ev...

 (45:09; Atco Records) It has been quite some years since I last heard a Jeff Beck solo album, which for me was the 1990 Grammy Award winning ‘Jeff Beck’s Guitar Shop’, but anyone who has ever had any interest in electric guitar knows who he is, so when I saw this 2016 album I thought I would give it a try. Whereas he is often more well-known for his instrumental work these days, this finds him back with a band, albeit one which wasn’t really his. Here he is working with singer Rosie Bones and guitarist Carmen Vandenberg, following on from a chance meeting with Vandenberg at a birthday party for Queen drummer Roger Taylor. “She invited me to one of their shows, and I was blown away,” the guitarist recalls. “When we got together in January, I explained the subject matter I had in mind, we sat down by the fire with a crate of Prosecco and got right to it. The songs came together very quickly; five in three days.”   Beck produced the album with Filippo Cimatti, who also works w...

 (50:36; Blue Elan Records [2020 Edition]) Originally released in March 2019 on Opio Media, Jon Anderson’s latest album was reissued in July 2020 after he signed a deal with Blue Élan Records. The title relates to the large number of musicians involved, which include the likes of industry heavyweights such as Rick Wakeman, Ian Anderson, Billy Cobham, Jean-Luc Ponty, Steve Morse, Chick Corea, Steve Morse, Chris Squire, Alan White, Steve Howe, and many others while the origins of the album actually go back to the early 90’s when he was working on a project which involved keyboard player Brian Chatton (who was with Jon in The Warriors before moving onto Flaming Youth). Jon involved some members of Yes on the recordings, but with the next tour coming up the tapes were put safely to one side and promptly forgotten about until producer Michael Franklin, who had also been involved in the sessions, suggested completing the album all these years later. Seven of the songs are co-written wi...