If you asked Santa for a Billy Childish rarities compilation, a Robbie Williams biopic soundtrack / anthology, the latest Todd Snider acoustic solo outing and a new Brad Mehldau LP, congrats! — the fat man came through for you big-time. For all those who didn’t get their requests answered, well, I guess you know which list you’re on. Have a think on that while you peruse next week’s offerings:
Wild Billy Childish & The Chatham Singers
Step Out!
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Wild Billy Childish has been recording and performing since the 1977 punk explosion. The Pop Rivets, Thee Milkshakes, The Headcoats and The Buff Medways being just a few outfits that Billy has run into the ground. But all that is just a hobby gone out of control — his day job is being an internationally exhibited artist, writer and vermin poet. Specializing in Chicago-style blues, The Chatham Singers have released five albums since 2005, and over a dozen 7” singles, some rarer than others, some worse than others. Here we have a full long player, which includes some of the songs from records only available as limited 45s, free at their sellout shows. Some were recorded by The Hangman Field Recording Unit, and others at Bludy Jim’s Ranscombe shack. Get hip and boogie chillun!”
MTB
Solid Jackson
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “When eminent jazz practitioners with shared histories convene in the studio without rehearsal or preparatory gigs, a perfunctory, by-the-numbers session is often the outcome. That is decidedly not the case on Solid Jackson, whose personnel reside in any hardcore jazz connoisseur’s top five. This second gathering of MTB (titled for the surnames of Brad Mehldau, Mark Turner and Peter Bernstein, in tribute to the late ’80s “young lion” band OTB) is an intense, focused recital that reinforces the exalted position each member holds in the 2024 jazz landscape. Everyone listens. No one overplays. The ambiance is one of concentrated excellence.”
Todd Snider
Rest In Chaos (Purple Version)
Todd Snider spent most of 2024 looking backward and repeating himself. Sort of. In February, the beloved Nashville troubadour announced an ambitiously titled retrospective project titled All My Songs, and began releasing an ongoing series of Unplugged / Storytellers-style live albums dubbed The Purple Versions. Recorded on the fly during the pandemic at his Purple Building studio, the performances find Snider working his way through his back catalog, delivering solo acoustic performances of his LPs in their entirety, complete with stories behind the songs. He initially said the series would include 12 albums, which would make Rest In Chaos — which is actually a 2016 release by his supergroup Hard Working Americans, rather than a solo album — the final instalment in the series. But given the all-inclusive title of the project — and the fact that he’s got several more albums he hasn’t redone yet — fingers crossed this isn’t the end of the line.
Robbie Williams
Better Man Soundtrack
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Robbie Williams’ musical biopic Better Man hits U.K. cinemas on Dec. 26 and sees Williams portrayed as a CGI monkey throughout. Really. Based on the true story of Robbie’s life and directed by Michael Gracey (The Greatest Showman), the film is uniquely told from Robbie’s perspective, capturing his signature wit and indomitable spirit. The film follows his journey from childhood, to being the youngest member of chart-topping boy band Take That, through to his unparalleled achievements as a record-breaking solo artist — all the while confronting the challenges that stratospheric fame and success can bring. Discussing the film, Gracey honed in on Robbie referring to himself as a monkey over and again. “Robbie would say things like, ‘I’m up the back dancing like a monkey.’ After a while, I thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be amazing to represent Robbie as a monkey in the film?’ Because Robbie is telling this story — and that’s how he sees himself.”
