By Fiona Shepherd

Published 25th Jul 2024, 10:24 BST

Updated 30th Jul 2024, 16:44 BST

Eminem: The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce) (Shady Records) ***

Meshell Ndegeocello: No More Water: The Gospel of James Baldwin (Blue Note) ****

Scorpio Leisure: Scorpio Leisure (Last Night From Glasgow) ***

Chiara Berardelli: Archaeology (The LNFG Cartel) ***

Onetime enfant terrible Eminem is 51 years old and often sounds it on his 12th album, railing repeatedly against (un)easy targets like some pub bore glowering over his pint and even resurrecting a 20-year-old track about the death of Christopher Reeve.

But it’s the demise of his devilish alter ego he is concerned with here. The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce), marketed with a fake obituary in the Detroit Free Press, is the latest in the franchise pitting his split personalities, Marshall Mathers and Slim Shady, against each other. At one point, he even provides his own strapline: “What you trying to do?” “Get us cancelled”.

The sorry-not-sorry dynamic is all part of a knowing dialogue with his audience, who continue to lap up the sequels, regardless of diminished returns. There are still moments of gleeful plotting, awful humour, salvos of rapid-fire flow and plenty to unpick, but also times when he sounds like an old dog with a mouldy bone.

Musically, it’s solid but lacking the old fire. The wacky mix of accordion, gospel backing vocals and horse whinnies setting up a sick Superman joke on Brand New Dance was recorded back in 2004, and one wonders if even his daughter likes the two drippy numbers addressed to her. The catchiest hook on the album comes courtesy of a sample of The Steve Miller Band’s Abracadabra on Houdini, which also throws back to his own Without Me with its now rather hollow boast that music is empty without Eminem.

Singer and multi-instrumentalist Meshell Ndegeocello marks the centenary of the great activist and writer James Baldwin with a far more sophisticated concept album. The flowing suite of No More Water: The Gospel of James Baldwin has been performed as a church service, with moments of passionate sermonising dovetailing into devotional surrender.

The former largely comes from spoken word artist Staceyann Chin who delivers incandescent diatribes on racist police brutality (Raise the Roof) and exploitation, sexual and otherwise (Tsunami Rising). Like Baldwin’s own speeches and writing, which are referenced throughout, these are ruthlessly eloquent and hard to hear, as they should be.

The music is much easier on the ear with Ndegeocello’s fluid funky bass gliding through the prog gospel of On The Mountain, though the hypnotic blues of Trouble and folk lament The Price of the Ticket don’t pull any lyrical punches while What Did I Do? is both bereft and questioning.

Edinburgh’s Scorpio Leisure are a cult supergroup, fronted by the suitably monikered Hettie Noir with backing from Gin Goblins bassist Coco Whitson, Fire Engines drummer Russell Burn and a guest appearance by Orange Juice/Josef K guitarist Malcolm Ross. The vibe on their self-titled debut album is dark and dubby with a prowling Noir sounding as dismissive as the Grace Jones of Private Life on Apology and the enduring influence of Bristol’s The Pop Group never far away. The slinky post-punk Pulse Beat pierces the generally moody and occasionally menacing atmosphere.

Italian-Scottish singer/songwriter Chiara Berardelli parks the day job as GP for a moment to present her third album. Archaeology was partly inspired by the effects of Long Covid, in particular the need to slow down. Nevertheless, she opens with the perky, finger-clicking Different Story, an indie pop girl group fusion with bonus xylophone before paring back to the breathy yearning of Swimming Downstream and the wistful allusions of Rodeo where she is “holding on for dear life”.

Berardelli digs deep for the soulful sway of Little More and ups the pace on the skiffly First Time before ending on the sultry slow dance of Dive In, offering gentle encouragement to push beyond the comfort zone.

CLASSICAL

Bliss: Works for Brass Band (Chandos) ****

There are brass bands, and then there’s Yorkshire’s extraordinary Black Dyke Band. And then there’s the conductor John Wilson, a wizard when it comes to championing sides to composers that don’t always see the light of day. The subject here is Sir Arthur Bliss (1891-1975), onetime Master of the Queen’s Music, and a set of works for brass band – some originally so, most arranged by others – that are gems in their own right, their wholesomeness amplified by this supreme band’s gleaming perfection and Wilson’s intrinsic feel for sweeping musical expression. Two original works, Kenilworth and The Belmont Variations, reveal Bliss’ mastery of this specialised genre, but among such fine arrangements of his ballet Checkmate (its darker dimensions a reminder perhaps that Bliss wrote Miracle in the Gorbals, a kind of ballet noir), or of his soundtrack from Alexander Korda’s 1936 sci-fi movie Things to Come, the delights are unexpectedly plentiful. Ken Walton

JAZZ

Sam Braysher: That’s Him: The Music of Kurt Weill (Own Label) ****

Sam Braysher once again turns his direct yet warm-toned alto saxophone to standards, in this case the music of Kurt Weill, accompanied by pianist Matyas Gayer, drummer Steve Brown and bassist Dario Di Lecce, with guest vocals on three tracks from Sara Dowling. The result is enjoyably retro – or perhaps simply timeless. Here I’ll Stay sets the vibe, sax spelling out the melody unadorned over light piano chords before the outfit slips into an easy swing. Moon-Faced, Starry-Eyed has a bluesy swagger, Ships Adrift bounces along with tightly interwoven sax and piano while Liebeslied is a lovingly cradled ballad. Marteri is a quiet standout, Braysher in duet with Gayer, its ambulatory stealth almost Satie-esque. Dowling, meanwhile, brings supple, wry voice to What Good Would the Moon Be?, the band sloping alongside, and pensive clarity alongside breathy sax to the title track. Jim Gilchrist

The Death of Slim Shady by Eminem review - 'sounds like an old dog with a mouldy bone'