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Xander And The Peace Pirates—Order Out Of Chaos—In-
dependent Release

Xander and the Peace Pirates are a British rock band that are
starting to see some success for their endeavours as they re-
lease their long awaited second album.

Opening track ‘We Cry’ has a nice cool 70s vibe with an under-
lying political message. ‘Leave The Lights On’ brought to mind
the sound of bands like Toto and Foreigner whilst ‘Soul Sail-
ing’ has a more country rock feel about it. There is a great gui-
tar solo in ‘I’m No Good At Being Bad’ a song referencing the
trials and tribulations of a one night stand.

The title track ‘Order Out Of Chaos’ is a modern day protest song with some rich harmonies
that make this song almost anthemic. ‘Fog’ is a short song that creates some more wonderful
guitar soundscapes and the album closes with ‘Heart Stop’ which has a different vibe than the
rest of the album being much more in -your-face blues rock.

This album is not a blues album more classic/soft rock but does have some blues influences in
there. The album is well produced and has a good overall feel to it. The musicianship by the
band is first class throughout with some great guitar sounds that took me back to the 70s and
80s. Keith Xander has a fantastic voice which really suits the band and their music, he’s not
quite Michael McDonald but he’s pretty close.

Whilst I really liked this album I couldn’t help but reference so many thoughts and sounds
from my baby boomer past and at times I felt it sounded quite ‘American’. I hope that going
forward the band can find their own identity and their own sound so that they can establish
themselves as a great rock band on their quest as pirates spreading peace and love!

Ged Wilson

Jimetta Rose and the Voices of Creation—How Good It Is—
Day Dreamer

I confess I did wonder whether or not to review this, but after
listening to it a few times, it’s a case of “go for it!” Modern
gospel often gets short shrift from blues lovers, and choir
recordings even shorter—but just stick with it…

The backings may be more contemporary than most are used
to, but there are strong elements of soul, funk (some heavy
bass playing here!) and jazz here—even what we might
consider some bluesy sounds—but the focus is firmly on the
voices, as the group name suggests. This is a six-track release
from a multi-generational community choir under the leadership of vocalist, arranger,
songwriter and producer Jimetta Rose. It was recorded in a church in East Pasadena,
California, and the majority of the singers are non-professional.