Ella Flame and the Nighthawks - The Cracked Bell Rings

  by Malcolm Carter

published: 14 / 1 / 2019

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Review

The press release would have us believe that the Charles Napiers, a band that only played instrumentals and cut out any live chat between songs during gigs, were playing around in the studio one day when in walked Ella Flame. The story goes that Ella took the boys (Dan Whaley, Clive Pearman and Danny O’Brien) on a musical journey they’d never made before and cut the four tracks that make up ‘The Cracked Bell’ that very day and then they never met again. It’s a good story, believe it if you will, but one thing is for sure; the four songs on this EP, all covers, come from four musicians playing so tight and so instinctively it’s difficult to believe that their paths haven’t crossed before and that a great deal of thought and time had not gone into the arrangements of these performances. Certainly as a singer Ella Flame has the right moniker; these songs are hot and smoking. Given the Charles Napiers' tendency to mix twangy, surf guitars with a menacing, theatrical touch, usually sounding like it’s been lifted from some obscure European gangster movie, and that the previously mentioned excellent press release informs us that Ella is blessed with a seasoned jazz singer’s control of the chosen songs, we came to these songs with something of a preconceived notion of how they would sound. And they did, but there’s so much more too. Massive Attack’s ‘Live with Me’ is not so much a cover of the song but more of a restructure. Ella’s sultry, smoky vocals indeed conjure up a late-night jazz club; the rumbling bass and spooky guitar bring a wider atmosphere to the song than the original though, as if that wasn’t effective enough in the first place. To say that Ella and the boys take the song to undiscovered places is something of an understatement. It’s a brilliant example of how to add your own identity to an already established song. ‘Lonely Avenue’ has been covered numerous times; the Doc Pomus song is probably best known for the versions by Ray Charles or Van Morrison. Even Jimi Hendrix made an attempt but according to Experience Hendrix the great guitarist composed his version, so maybe this writer is getting a little confused by all the different versions. The band throw in a few twangs which take this smouldering blues again into unchartered territory despite so many artists adding their own touch to the song. Ella’s vocals on this song display her at her most soulful while never betraying her jazz leanings. It’s another remarkable and original take. It’s fair to say that sometimes Tom Waits doesn’t always cut the best version of some of his songs; his voice alone is an acquired taste and some of his work has been more successful in other musician’s hands. It’s also fair to say that Ella Flame’s vocals will appeal to many more than the growl that Tom Waits is known for, so, although it’s not a great surprise to hear that Ella’s version of ‘Hoist That Rag’ is going to be instantly more appealing to those who find Waits’ vocals demanding, it’s a minor surprise to hear Ella’s vocals shorn of any particular genre leanings. Apart from being a showcase for Ella’s vocals the playing by the band, which had to go some way to impress after the Waits’ original, is blistering and full of atmosphere. The guitar solo is particularly impressive while the song also boasts probably the best drumming heard throughout the EP. That leaves ‘Red Right Hand’, a Nick Cave song, which finds Ella back on sultry jazz terrain while a surf band soundtrack a David Lynch movie in the background. It’s yet another example of how to cover a song successfully and leave your own imprint; not easy with a song from Nick Cave but Ella but Ella and the band succeed. Available on 10” vinyl ‘The Cracked Bell Rings’ rates as one of the most diverse yet inspired set of covers we’ve heard for a long time.

Track Listing:-

1 Hoist That Rag
2 Lonely Avenue
3 Red Right Hand
4 Live with Me