Monday 17 June 2013

2013 sees the very talented Martin Stephenson and The Daintees return with a new Album but also to The Glastonbury Festival




Martin is a talented musician/songwriter, with a career spanning 3 decades. He formed the Daintees in the Early 80s and they were one of the first bands to sign to Kitchenware, an Indie label based in Newcastle.  The Daintees debut single was Roll On Summertime and after the band’s move to London Records their debut album Boat to Bolivia was released in 1986.

Quoting from their press release – “The Daintees’ critically acclaimed 1986 debut BOAT TO BOLIVIA opened up an always interesting story. It showcased Stephenson’s songwriting, poetic romanticism and spiritual depth – so marking him out as a soulful cream of the leftfield crop during the self-obsessed 1980s.” . Following the release of their debut album, between 86 and 92 the band released several more albums such as Gladsome, Humour & Blue and The Boy’s Heart.

The Daintees have now reformed and the band’s lineup includes John Steel, who was guitarist/pianist on their debut album. On 29 July they will be releasing a new album titled California Star (Barbaraville Records) and they will also be playing The Acoustic Tent at Glastonbury on 28 June.



“Always popular on the circuit, Stephenson’s “must see” live performances are an exuberant tour-de-force combining heart-in-your-mouth intimacy with playful humour and warm self-deprecation.”


New album CALIFORNIA STAR sees him reunited with The Daintees, the band he’s intermittently fronted through a string of albums - and hundreds of gigs - since his teens in the North East.  Here’s my track by track summary of the album:

·        The Ship is a nice track with a Bluesy vibe and a cool melody, the guitar arrangement is instrumental silk.
·        The Streets of San Sebastian has a more sombre feel to it.
·        Power That Is Greater, this is an upbeat melody with some positive lyrics.
·        California Star has some great vocals and instrumental arrangement.
·        Ready to Move On has a more rocky feel to it and nice use of the harmonica.
·        Boy to Man, this song has a cool intro and although the lyrics aren’t upbeat the melody is.
·        Something Special starts with a slightly rocky intro, this track is an easy to listen to ballad.
·        Silverbird is a great song with an uplifting melody.
·        Long Way To Go has a great melodic feel to it and its my fave song on the album.
·        Sweet Cherwine has a nice instrumental intro and it also features some smooth sounding    
         lyrics.
·        I’m In Love For The First Time is another great ballad.

Martin’s vocal talents are outstanding and John’s guitar playing is amazing, he’s very very talented. The album as a whole is an acoustic masterpiece, until the release of the album you can download a FREE EP featuring the new single “California Star” and two other Stephenson penned songs; “Morning Time” from Salutation Road and “Home” from the Western Eagle album  http://daintees.bandcamp.com

CALIFORNIA STAR continues Stephenson’s tradition for eclectic roots songwriting, and is the perfect middle-age bookend on a discography now amounting to 40 albums and more information on Martin Stephenson’s unique career is available on http://www.daintees.com .

Website ::: http://www.daintees.co.uk/daintees.co.uk/Welcome.html



Boulent Mustafa
Twitter - @OBsMusicUk
Blog - http://oceanicblueuk.blogspot.co.uk

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