Joseph Arthur - 'Let's Just Be' (Lonely Astronaut) Released 03/09/07

Enjoying a release on the same day as his stalwart 'Nuclear Daydream' album, 'Let’s Just Be' was recorded after a buzzing tour with Joseph Arthur's new band The Lonely Astronauts - comprising Kraig Jarret Johnson (Golden Smog, The Jayhawks), Jennifer Turner (Natalie Merchant), Greg Wieczorek (Twilight Singers) and Sibyl Buck (Champion Of Sound) and with all the hallmarks of the live sound, 'Let's Just Be' was conceived in just three weeks with the songs layed down in a back to basics approach using a 16-track tape with no reverb, just how the old boys used to do it, trailing rumours that over 80 songs were recorded during the sessions.

The band follow Joseph's meandering lead with alacrity - Stonesy affections shine through on the honky tonk rattle of 'Diamond Ring' with the Keif hooks, the bluesy rock 'n' roll chords of 'Precious Woman' and 'Chicago' shows the band at ease with the rhythms, but the doffing of the singer-songwriter cap on 'Take Me Home' and 'Lack A Vision' provides two of those spellbindingly mellow and tender Joseph Arthur moments that's amongst the best he's written.

Influences vary with the Bowie-esque 'Spacemen' like a Beatles 'White Album' track left in the hamster cage with Bowie's 'Ground Control To Major Tom', and the brass and swagger of 'Cocaine Feet' rips with power chords like Nirvana fronted by Bobby Gillespie, with title track 'Let's Just Be' taking a cue from The Beatles and The Stones - "...let it bleed/ and let it be..." set to a clap-happy groove.

Explorations of sound come with the Stoogey garage-punk of 'Good Life' replete with growls, snarls and piggy-snorts - rocking where previously Joseph would swoon, but the sqwalking unplugged proto-punk of 'Shake It Off' proves a pointless exercise, yet one of the titles of the year 'Cockteeze' packs the Iggy Pop credo and comes in at all of 1.46 minutes with Joseph screaming it out - "...I don't care what you want to believe...",