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Velvet Underground founder member John Cales’s 22nd solo album hits the shelves - and it's just the sort of wrong-footing eclectic fusion of styles his C.V invites you to expect.

blackAcetate by John Cale

Velvet Underground founder member John Cales’s 22nd solo album hits the shelves - and it's just the sort of wrong-footing eclectic fusion of styles his C.V invites you to expect.

Cales' follow-up to his 2003 (much rockier) album Hobosapiens is that rarest of things: a collection of sounds from an artist forty plus years in the music business that sounds like it could be a debut collection. Wilfully eclectic it may be, but one thing's for sure; there's no resting on legendary laurels for this particular musician...

Velvet Underground co-founder (with Lou Reed) John Cale has had a huge impact on the music world in the past 40-plus years. Working sometimes behind the scenes as a producer - and sometimes as a solo recording artist - he has a well-deserved reputation as a pioneer of the esoteric in both roles.

His production work alone tells of a mind-boggling array of collaborations: Nico's Chelsea Girl , The Stooges ground-breaking eponymous debut, recordings by Nick Drake, Patti Smith and 'Madchesters'' Happy Mondays.

Here’s what the critics have been saying about the new long-player:

“...this is that rare thing, an album that shares new pleasures each time you hear it, made by someone who’s still excited by music, and is still capable of inspiring that same excitement in his listeners.” - MOJO

“Most hot young bands’ debuts fall way short of the urgency, invention, eclecticism and sonic adventurousness of this, the former Velvet’s 22nd solo work.” - The Sunday Times

“...the most startling sound from a pop musician of his age in recent memory.” - UNCUT

“World’s coolest Welshman throws N.E.R.D-style funk rock and glam stomps into his ever eclectic mix.” - London listings magazine Time Out

“The art-rock legend gets influenced by the Neptunes and the results are fuggin’ brilliant.” - NME

The full track listing for blackAcetate looks like this:

1. OuttaTheBag
2. ForARide
3. Brotherman
4. Satisfied
5. InAFlood
6. Hush
7. GravelDrive
8. Perfect
9. Sold-Motel
10. Woman
11. Wasteland
12. TurnTheLightsOn
13. Mailman (TheLyingSong)

A single lifted from the album - Perfect is also out now.

blackAcetate is in the shops now, on EMI.

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