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Deadbolt Zulu Death Mask (Headhunter/Polar) Deadbolt's fourth album doesn't stray too much from their previous surf attack, but heck, who's complaining? This is raunch-and-roll surfing in raw sewage with not a happy little Ventures song in the bunch. Deadbolt's instrumentals are spiced up with voiceover taken straight from the pages of pulp crime novels, and this, coupled with a sinister spy-theme sound, is a lethal cocktail. The narration in "Watongo" about a zombie killing "dirty hippies" is pure genius. In terms of pure jerk factor, these assholes will give ol' Dick Dale a run for his money. 7.5/10 (Johnson Cummins) Luther Vandross I Know (Virgin)
Art Tatum God Is in the House (High Note/Fusion III) A long, long, long-awaited reissue is finally at hand. The title is a Fats Waller description of Tatum. These sides were recorded by Jerry Newman in 1940 and '41, afterhours in Harlem, with Tatum sitting at the piano at spots like the Gee-Haw Stables, Reuben's and Monroe's Uptown House. If studio recordings by Tatum are worth a rating of 10, then this live document deserves twice that. 20/10 (Len Dobbin)
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This is easily Vandross' best effort since '91's Power of Love. He addresses issues like friendship ("Keeping My Faith in You"), faith ("Religion") and loyalty ("I Know"), but never forgets his romantic roots (the creamy "Dream Lover"). The smouldering "I'm Only Human" with jazz vocalist Cassandra Wilson and the funky "Nights in Harlem" are Luther at his best, while the house fervour of "Are You Using Me" brings him full circle to his early days with dance band Change. Magnificent. 8.5/10 (Gerard Dee)