Kenny Sharp – My Own Good
Punk may not be dead, as some of the kids still insist, but the blues is sure breathing heavily and coughing loudly. But how did we get to this? By killing it slowly and with kindness, for the most part, I suspect.
Most of the blues still being played are designed for travellers looking for a souvenir. It’s no different to Buenos Aires tango or Florentine operas. People buy their tickets, clap their hands, and don’t think about the music again until they’re back on holiday.
So, what can be done to revive these styles of music? Well, frankly, these old genres need artists like Kenny Sharp in the same way that the blues needs him, and they need audience members whispering to themselves: “That’s just how I feel!”
Kenny Sharp is almost too good a singer for the blues. But this is exactly what makes him, and, in turn, this style of music, appeal to contemporary audiences. There’s real hurt captured in the single “My Own Good,” and a desperate plea for redemption. But if the only thing that you get from this is that the singer possesses a marvellously expressive tenor range, you’re still better off than you were before you heard it.
The Life on Mars – Into the Blue
As we speak, accountants are having to explain to angry record label higher-ups that 2025, sadly, was another losing year. The bad news, as far as the bottom line is concerned, is that there’s simply no way to skimp out on playing weirdos and get away with it, regardless of how many subscriptions to AI services you get.
But, before, dear reader, you start laughing and celebrating one more failed attempt by the music biz to cheat you out of some good, nasty rock n’ roll, consider your own responsibility here. You’re just gonna have to go out there and find the treasure yourself.
Who even played on most Rolling Stones songs? Keith Richard and whoever was still awake in the studio? The answer’s meaningless because people are going to want to hear other people banging out loud rhythms on instruments, the way that The Life on Mars does, as long as there’s recorded music.
Just like Keith and his clique, there’s simply no way of telling how many people were involved with making The Life on Mars’ “Into the Blue.” All you can say for sure is that it’s a mighty gorgeous racket being created, a Stonesy groove with ‘90s Damon Albarn-like vocals. It’s enough to make you believe that there’s enough of a reason to catch the train out to the city and watch that basement gig. Who needs what you’re gonna hear there? And, with all the knowledge, who knows, you might even end up working for a record company before the whole thing goes under.
