FIFE STAR

Twenty-five years in showbusiness? Hardly believable for such a perennially innovative artist as Steve Mason. But that milestone, along with the release of his fifth solo album, Brothers & Sisters, seems a good occasion for Mason to look back, album by album - in reverse order - over his recorded output under various guises since The Beta Band made their debut in 1998. Soul brother: Daryl Easlea

- Daryl Easlea

Steve Mason has been releasing records now for more than a quarter-century, hard to believe for an artist who seems forever on the cusp of breaking through. Partly this is due to his relentless changes in direction over the course of his career from the multi-layered psychedelic folk-house of The Beta Band and electro experimentation of Black Affair to his often politically charged solo work. It is also partly due to his penchant for self-sabotage, from calling the first Beta Band album “fucking awful” to retiring just prior to his King Biscuit Time album’s release. Honest about his depression at a time when it was unfashionable to discuss, Mason has never been reluctant to wear his heart on his sleeve. The Kirkaldy-born singer has quietly created a body of work with assorted labels attached – neo-psychedelia, nu-folk, prog-funk – but at its heart it is simple songwriting. To celebrate Brothers & Sisters, Mason assesses his many aliases and releases with RC.

BROTHERS AND SISTERS

(Double Six DS145LPXM, 2LP, gold vinyl, g/f, some editions with postcards 2023, £25)