JOHN MARTYN: Foundations (Island).
John Martyn has spent 20 years falling between the cracks in the rock, folk and jazz marketplace. Foundations attempts to give new converts some perspective on his career with live versions of old standbys, the best of his later material and a couple of great covers (Over The Rainbow and the reggae standard Johnny Too Bad). He's an incredible vocalist -check out the wistful Angeline and Over The Rainbow- and if the electric piano/ sax/ funky guitar and bass musical setting gets a little antiseptic here and there, his rasp saves the day. As always, recommended for you Sade/ Everything But The Girl/ Working Week fans out there.

— JOHN MACKIE

sitenotes:
This Canadian review was published in The Vancouver Sun of Saturday 16 January 1988.