The Guest Stars are a great live band whose studio albums do them proud. Out At Night is out of the same mould as its eponymous debut predecessor, a highly charged dance mix of jazz, funk, Latin and African musics with some strong vocals on three of the tracks. Deirdre Cartwright’s electric guitar has some well-paced solos, but it is Alison Rayner’s fretless bass that most grabs attention, motoring along on the opening track, smoothly negotiating the rhythmic irregularities of Amy’s Bounce. With two percussionists and a pianist to contend with, Ruthie Smith tends to get somewhat overawed, apart from a hard-edged solo on Uranus, but the overall rhythmic tightness and immediacy of melody more than compensate. If I have a criticism, it is that this album does not take the risks the live performances do. With two strong and successful albums behind them, the Guest Stars can afford to stick out their collective necks on the third. I can’t wait.
Discography
Montezeuma’s Mother; Miles Apart; Amy’s Bounce; What Means Love (21.30) – The Wind Is Getting Angry; Song Of The Bridge; Uranus In Jeopardy; Birds Of A Feather (20.32)
Deirdre Cartwright (g); Josefina Cupido (d/v); Laka Daisical (p/v); Linda daMango (cga/pc/v); Alison Rayner (elb/v); Ruthie Smith (sax/v). Recorded Woodcray Manor Studio, Berks, England, Sept 1985.
(Guest Stars GS11)
