The largely excellent "Late Night Tales" is rapidly establishing itself as THE compilation of choice for the discerning listener keen to broaden their horizons. Recent selections from Nightmares On Wax, Sly & Robbie and (unlikely as it may seem) Jamiroquai have all brimmed with irresistibly funky tunes and have single-handedly changed your reviewer's previously frosty attitude to what can basically be self-indulgent mix CDs in the wrong hands.
TURIN BRAKES' "Late Night Tales" selection, though, is arguably the very best in this series to date. Although they're not a name you'd generally categorise with the likes of the dancier set, they're clearly two young men of taste, as the 15 tracks they've compiled here run together beautifully and wheel out pleasant surprise after pleasant surprise en route.
As you might suspect, Olly and Gale's key choices are rather more singer/ songwriterly than on some of the previous "Late Night Tales", although this album is hardly devoid of sweaty, funky deviations either. For instance, this writer's overheating ears were delighted by the soothing balm of Les Barons' wonderfully slinky, horn-led "Lagos Soundsystem" and Grant Green's slippery, Booker T-meets-Roy Budd instrumental "A Walk In The Night", not to mention the sultry strut of "Blues Music" by the terminally under-rated G.Love & Special Sauce.
But when Olly and Gale lean towards the (usually blues-inclined) troubadours, their taste is largely impeccable. Nicolai Dunger's floaty "Last Night I Dreamt Of Mississippi" is an engaging opener while it's good to find space devoted to fiercely independent performers from both the old school such as JJ Cale and John Hammond and more recent contenders such as Chris Whitley, whose tense "Breaking Your Fall" is surely one of the finest things here.
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Wonderfully, there's room for the minimalists, too. Pianist Dave Palmer's fragile take of the late Elliott Smith's "Speed Trials" is almost unbearably poignant, while Talk Talk's "I Believe In You" is a further reminder of what a terminally magnificent album "Spirit Of Eden" is and remains. At a related tangent, the Brakes boys know their Americana too: indeed, Silver Jews' hilarious, crescendo-fuelled "Send In The Clouds," Gillian Welch's affecting " One And Only" and Smog's relentlessly morose "Cold Blooded Old Times" (the line "How can I stand and laugh with the man who redefined your body" makes me shudder every time) are all on mailing terms with genius.
Actually, with the possible exception of Al Di Meola's jazzy meanderings on "Short Tales Of The Black Forest", the only time things come unstuck is with Turin Brakes' own contribution: a cover of The Rolling Stones' under-rated classic "Moonlight Mile." It's gentle, reverential and perfectly listenable, but without the majesty of Paul Buckmaster's strings and Jagger's wasted delivery, it's all just a mite too tame.
Nevertheless, Turin Brakes' "Late Night Tales" is far too strong overall to be buckled by such minor carping. In fact, despite stiff competition from its' predecessors, it's (so far) the very best of this series and an album your reviewer will be returning to for pleasure on a regular basis. Total result, basically.
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