Rating: Two star

THE 'kaleidoscopic funk collision' that is Gimme Shelter is a strange animal.

It's impossible to try to comprehend why, oh why, Merry Clayton and The Deirdre Wilson Tabac had the slightest inkling they could do justice to cover versions of the Rolling Stones' Gimme Shelter and The Beatles Get Back.

But, with tongues firmly placed in cheeks, they somehow manage to pull it off. Just.

Musically, the album is phenomenal and carries more impressive tracks than flops.

Some of the many musical highlights include The Isley Brothers' Ohio/Machine Gun (Machine Gun was written by the late, great Jimi Hendrix who actually played guitar for the Isley Brothers in the mid 60s), Sly and the Family Stone's I Want to Take You Higher and I'm Funky by Grootina.

On the downside, Rotary Connection's I Am the Black Gold of the Sun and Ruth Copeland's I Got A Thing For You Daddy are just plain weird and spoil a fine album.

And the lack of well-known tracks are a disappointment which make Gimme Shelter not worth the money that could be put towards a pair of vintage flares or a fetching kaftan.

But although it may be many things, the album is far from average.

MC