Margret RoadKnight Moving Target >>>> harder to hit Honky Tonk Angels      HTA 4 email: margretr@ihug.com.au

REVIEWER: David Mulhallen

I remember enjoying it not just because I liked the songs she sang, but because Margret was bringing to life many a fine song by some of the many fine singer/songwriters of the time, most of whom were little known outside their own small groups of ardent fans. And even the songs she sang by some of the well-known songwriters, were the lesser known classics that again, only the real fans would know. It is actually something I have always admired about a number of singers in the Australian music scene, especially Margret RoadKnight, Jeannie Lewis and Reg Livermore. They have an eye for a good song and a way of “discovering” other people's songs and turning them into songs of real significance for themselves and for their audiences. How else would many of us have heard Jeremy Taylor's All Along The South Coast before he toured here? And, at a time when many of Tom Paxton's albums were hard to purchase in Australia, it was Margret who brought us, amongst others, SRO and Harrisburg.

In fact, we can thank Margret for introducing us to a whole list of songs in both the contemporary folk and folk blues traditions, especially from America. As well, she has given us an insight into African music and sung for us a broad range of the blues and gospel, including the early cakewalk blues of New Orleans. Just as importantly, Margret has given her support to Australia's own songwriters by singing the songs of Jeannie Lewis, Tony Miles, John Shortis and David Bentley to name just some. Indeed, it was Margret RoadKnight who told me, at that same concert, all those years ago, that a young woman by the name of Judy Small was soon to make her name as a most important singer/songwriter in the Australian folk scene.

But what of Margret RoadKnight herself? This year, Margret celebrates 40 years in music, starting her career way back in 1963 as a young hopeful folk singer in Melbourne. Melbourne at the time was the centre of blues and jazz in Australia and it was very much a school of hard knocks, something of a hallmark of Margret's career. Every success she has had, she has had to work hard for by herself, struggling to gain recognition in an area of music that isn't known for its riches or its popularity. All the same, Margret has travelled Australia and overseas and appeared on major concerts and at major festivals around the world. She has played a myriad of venues, working constantly, despite all the difficulties of a changing music scene. To her credit and hard work, her albums have all met with public and critical acclaim, if not good record sales.

To mark this 40^th anniversary, Margret has chosen to go back through her previous albums and re-issue her 1987 release Moving Target with the addition of four new tracks, which fit perfectly into the original production and add to the feel of celebration, not just of Margret's career but of the songs and style of music she loves to sing. The album is really a look back to the blues and the music that has inspired Margret throughout her life and in many ways it is a statement of what Margret believes in and enjoys, in terms of her music.

For the CD, the order of the songs has been changed from that of the original album and now Moving Target opens with a song by American blues singer Chris Smither, who is often out here on tour. Footloose sets the scene for what is a fine joyful collection of songs. It is followed by a David Bentley rock 'n roller Hot City, which says it all and which is a very clever showpiece for Margret's singing voice. Bentley was in the band with Phil Manning, Peter Walters and Robin Andrews, who backed Margret in the original recording of the album and he contributes four songs including one co-written with Judy Bailey. Yet, despite the obvious jazz influences, including the inclusion of Luis Bonfa's Samba de Orfeu Moving Target is not a jazz album. It just has lots of swing!

The first new inclusion on Moving Target is a South American song Un Son Para Los Ninos Antillanos (A Song For The Caribbean Children). The music was composed by Justos Diaz, lead singer with Papalote, Sydney's popular Chilean group and it was Justos who asked Margret to record it. It is a beautifully haunting song performed by Margret RoadKnight with Jeannie Lewis in Spanish and with Papalote accompanying.

And then come the real blues songs starting with a recording of Margret RoadKnight with Little Brother Montgomery. The sleeve notes don't say when this recording was made, presumably as the photo suggests in 1979, when Little Brother Montgomery played some concerts in Australia. The result of their meeting in the ABC's Sydney studios is a great version of the Ma Rainey song Moonshine Blues. This is followed by a gutsy R&B soul number Down Hearted Blues with some terrific electric blues guitar from Phil Manning. On hearing this song, I am wistful that I never saw Margret in concert with this band. It is very clear that with such a polished line-up of excellent musicians Margret must have felt very confident and assured. However, we can only imagine what might have been from this recording, because unfortunately, for all of us, such a line-up only ever happened in the studio and never did appear live in concert. And so the beat goes on as we jump into the next song, a Charlie Smalls' soul number Don't Nobody Bring Me No Bad News. Exciting stuff, before the calm!

I have to confess that being a lover of good songs, every now and again a song comes along that sends me bananas! And so it is with the Oscar Brown Jr. and Paul Laurence Dunbar original When Malindy Sings, which Margret recorded in Melbourne in 1998 with master British guitarist Bert Jansch and with Peter Howell, one of Australia's great bass players. Thank you, Peter, for suggesting to Margret that she record this song. You are right. She does it superb justice.

And then it is back to the blues, well gospel first, and the hymn Come In The Room written by Margret's gospel mentor Prof Alex Bradford. Here we have another new recording and a tremendous coming together of Margret RoadKnight, and to quote her, “with pioneering gospel 'n jazz singer Judy Jacques”. This is another truly great song, which sees Margret at her finest. This is such a great song, recording and performance by all concerned, that it is disappointing when it comes to an end. It is a stunning song with beautiful harmonies and such fine singing and playing. But as this is the first of another three songs in the blues/gospel style, one just has to go with the flow and enjoy, after all one can always hit the repeat button! The next two songs are composed by Judy Bailey and David Bentley and by David Bentley on his own respectively, and both are superb versions of the blues. The Judy Bailey/David Bentley song Cakewalk Nostalgique is the sort of song that makes you think you have heard it before. It could have been written by any number of top bands, which makes it all the more interesting and surprising to find out that it is a home-grown gem. The same is true of Black and White, Bentley's own composition, another gritty rock 'n roller in the electric blues style, which harks back to what I was saying earlier about Phil Manning's guitar playing and about the original band who recorded with Margret on the first Moving Target.

After an intermission of Sven's Tune, a deceptively happy little song by Steve Dunstan and David Bentley, it is back to the blues again and two hard hitting blues songs Can't Stand To See The Slaughter by Steve Kupka and Emilio Castillo, a great example of American Rock Blues at its best and Sweet Solitary Blues written by Robyn Archer especially for Margret, and which is so typical of the English Blues style that I half expect to see Jimmy Page take the lead. That Margret handles these songs with such ease is a real testament to the class of singer she is!

Finally, Moving Target ends with a Marie Cain song What Am I Doing Here, a slow blues in the jazz style with David Bentley tickling the ivories along with Peter Walters on bass and Robin Andrews brushing the snare drum. It's a nice way to end up and wind down, except that after a gap of a few seconds another song comes along as a reminder of what this music is all about – a fine singer singing about lost love and retribution and then finding new love and the good times, thanks to a great beat and classy musicianship! The title of the song is, Somebody's Doing What You Wouldn't Do” and the last line is “that's why I am through with you”. Well, Margret when you are singing so well and in such good spirits, don't be through with us because all we will be shouting is “Encore! We want more!!”

Moving Targets >> harder to hit is released on Honky Tonk Angels and can be ordered direct from Margret RoadKnight on email margretr@ihug.com.au and through her website which incidentally gives you all the news and information about this album and on what Margret is doing in terms of live performances, touring and recording.