Shleep

About

Robert Wyatt knows how to make wonderful albums all by his lonesome — <i>Old Rottenhat</i> and <i>Dondestan</i> are proof of that — but on <i>Shleep</i>, he invited a motley crew of collaborators to contribute. The varied and stellar cast includes avant-pop wizard Brian Eno, British free-jazz legend Evan Parker, Belgian guitarist Philip Catherine, ex-Jam frontman Paul Weller, Roxy Music guitar-slinger Phil Manzanera, and others. <i>Shleep</i> kicks off with the sprightly “Heaps of Sheeps,” which Wyatt co-wrote with Eno, and the track betrays a Before and After Science vibe as well as Wyatt’s unmistakable touch. “The Duchess” is the sort of psychedelic jazz Wyatt has been recording since his days as a member of the ‘60s British jazz-rock group the Soft Machine. The track displays his flair for dada nursery rhyme-type wordplay: “She never lies, but then again / she lies down all day long.” On “Blues in Bob Minor,” a word-jammed homage to Dylan, Wyatt lets loose a torrent of fractured lines that echo the American singer’s vocal phrasing. The song is a nice nod from one unique artist to another.

via Apple Music

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