Foundations
John Martyn
Island (LP, cassette, CD)

* * *

Veteran English folk-rocker John Martyn turns in a fine live set on Foundations. Backed by an accomplished band that moves comfortably among jazz, folk and rock styles, Martyn offers wrenching versions of the anti-Thatcherite Mad Dog Days and the tormented Angeline, along with idiosyncratic covers of the reggae classic Johnny Too Bad and Over The Rainbow.
Martyn's smoky baritone and brooding, introspective lyrics take some getting used to, but an acquired taste for his music can soon become an addiction – and Foundations is a good place to get the habit.

sitenotes:
The Anchorage Daily News is a daily newspaper based in Anchorage, Alaska, in the United States. It is by far the most widely read newspaper in the state. This short review featured in the Entertainment section of Monday, 29 February 1988.
An identical text appeared in Raleigh, North Carolina in The News and Observer of Friday 26 February 1988. The content was syndicated from the Los Angeles Times.