CD Reviews: June 1

Cool jazz of this kind won't satisfy those with a taste for more challenging works but will delight those who value its inherent restorative qualities.

> Nathan Haines
Vermillion Skies
Haven Music

Tenor saxophonist Nathan Haines follows up Tui-winning release The Poet's Embrace with a warm zephyr of an album, teaming up with producer Mike Patto and arranger/conductor Wayne Senior to eloquently express his current preference for live recordings that blend even-handed ensemble pieces with smooth, pop-leaning ballads.

Haines once again tests out his passable lounge-room crooner's voice, faring best on the lightly swinging Navarino Street.

Single download: First Light
For those who like: Sonny Rollins, Joshua Redman
3 stars (out of 5)

By Jeff Harford



> Suede
Bloodsports
Warner Music

After the disappointment of the late 1990s and early 2000s efforts, expectations of Suede's sixth album aren't great ... how wrong.

Bloodsports is almost exactly as singer Brett Anderson proclaims, a mix of Dog Man Star and Coming Up, arguably the pre-Brit pop quintet's finest moments.

If you close your eyes and drift back to the days before Blur and Oasis, you can hear Bernard Butler's guitar. Of course, he isn't here, but the angular attack married with Anderson's androgynous delivery is every bit as powerful as the band that were always a welcome antidote to Madchester, Grunge or Britpop.

Single download: It starts and ends with you
For those who like: Bowie, Roxy Music, Bloc Party, Kent
4 stars (out of 5)

By Mark Orton



> Shapeshifter
Delta
Universal

Shapeshifter's fifth studio album (not counting remix efforts) again blends blistering drum and bass with more primal beats, complex electronic textures and soulful vocals, but where 2009's System Of A Vampire was inspired by a ''live'' vibe, Delta feels slightly more machine-oriented - even if singer Paora Apera, aka P Digsss, unsuspectingly (perhaps) smooths out the angular nature of many of the tracks with a voice that drips honey.

Delta might be designed for the dance-floor - and occasionally the stadium courtesy of anthems such as In Colour - yet its ambitious production also offers a warm intimacy.

Frenetic yet focused.

Single download: Gravity
For those who like: Faith No More meets Goldie
4 stars (out of 5)

By Shane Gilchrist


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