The latest reviews from Kevin Bryan.

Marty Balin, "Live at the Boston Esplanade" (MVD MVDV 4851)- The former Jefferson Airplane frontman's first solo DVD was recorded live at an open air concert in Boston three summers ago, and found Balin strolling languidly down memory lanes as he revisited some choice moments from his illustrious back catalogue. Local rock celebrity Didi Stewart occupied the Grace Slick role with all the lumbering grace of the proverbial drunken aunt at a party, and Marty's attempts to rouse his spectacularly unresponsive audience from their collective torpor largely fell on deaf ears despite the presence in his set list of rabble-rousing gems from the late sixties such as "Volunteers," "White Rabbit," and "Somebody To Love."

Ace, "Five-a-Side"(Cherry Red CDBRED 493)- Ace seemed destined for great things when their debut single, "How Long," soared effortlessly into the higher reaches of the singles charts in both Britain and America during the mid-seventies, but the stylish pub-rockers inexplicably failed to capitalise on this initial burst of success,and finally threw in the towel for good in 1977. The band's excellent 1974 album, "Five-a Side" has now been re-issued by Cherry Red with the addition of a string of fine bonus tracks culled from BBC radio sessions, and their melodic fusion of pop and funk still repays closer investigation almost four decades after it was first captured for posterity.

Mick Ronson,"Heaven and Hull" (Lemon CDLEM 193)- This strangely poignant collection served as Mick Ronson's musical epitaph, as it was released a year after his untimely death from liver cancer in 1993. The project found the Hull born guitarist working with old friends such as Ian Hunter , David Bowie and Def Leppard's Joe Elliott as they tackled the vocal duties on tracks such as "All The Young Dudes," "Life's A River" and Dylan's "Like A Rolling Stone," with the understandably rather frail Ronson content to adopt a supporting role for much of this excellent package.

John Lill, "Rakhmaninov: The Piano Concertos" (Nimbus NI 1720)- English classical pianist Lill is probably best known for his masterly interpretations of Beethoven but he also feels a natural affinity for the music of Rakhmaninov, and this new anthology showcases his renditions of many of the great Russian composer's finest keyboard creations,including the four "Piano Concertos" and the instantly memorable "Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini." The BBC National Orchestra of Wales and their conductor Tadaaki Otaka also play their part in the success of this splendid 4 CD set from Nimbus Records.

"Gospel Celebrities & Celestial Lights" (Fantastic Voyage FVDD 077)- This vibrant compilation features archive recordings from several top notch vocalists who launched their careers as gospel performers before going on to find fame and fortune in the much more secular worlds of soul and pop music. Sam Cooke, Lou Rawls and The Staple Singers all make telling contributions to the proceedings, and the compilers have also found space for "The Bible Tells Me So," an impassioned offering that the ten year old Bobby Womack recorded with his four brothers long long ago in 1954.