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Elly Roberts reviews
V2
- May 2007
- Rating: 10/10
The music world is bursting with singer-songwriters, primarily from America and the UK.
One has been on the edge for nearly seven years, Tom McRae from Suffolk. Hisprevious album from May 2005, All Maps Welcome was brilliant, but didntmake any serious waves.
Amazingly, after nearly two weeks, this his fourth release still hasnt brokeninto the Top 40, nevertheless, its a match for its predecessor. For a Brit,hes still sounding more like an Americana artist, and credit to him for keepingthe faith. Apart from some wonderful music, his voice is also an instrument of beauty.
Often compared to David Gray, Nick Drake and oddly enough Coldplay, the MercuryPrize nominee leaves them all standing as a singer of great emotion, sensitivityand richness.
King Of Cards in reality is an album full of album tracks, with no sniffof a commercial single in sight, which is sad. At some point every artist needsto get greater attention, even if its one a one-off. McCrae hasnt quite sussedthat yet. It only took one song, Babylon (2000), to get David Gray noticed.It also worked for Daniel Powter two years ago. McCrae needs one soon.His best chance is possibly Bright Lights, and maybe, at a push Sound Of The City.
Creating an incredible atmosphere, American Indian styled drums crank upthe dramatic ambience on opener Set The Story Straight, which rises toa stratospheric crescendo, dropping down into calmness what a way to begin analbum brilliant. A strum, a couple of drumstick clicks lead to a piano drivenbouncy gem, Bright Lights, that gets better as the pace increases anddrums go into overdrive, which is eventually bolstered by sweeping strings.
At this point McCrae is at full throttle vocally.Doing mellow acoustic ballads is McRaes forte: Got A Suitcase, Got Regretsis a melancholic gem about the reality of moving on, and not regretting it, withmusic in the Damien Rice mould.
A real weepy that brings the best out of McCrae. Further in, On And On isquite similar.
In total contrast comes Keep Your Picture Clear, a heavy upright bassled stunner thats shifted along by almost menacing strings that brings an enormousexplosion of drums and cacophonous sounds including harmonica and chanting.
Most peculiar is the gentle short story about Houdini (and a girl) involved inone of his escape acts, and later a lament about aviation pioneer Amelia Earhartwho tragically lost her life somewhere in the mid-Pacific between Lae, New Guineaand Howland Island in July 1937.
Slap in the middle is a Springsteen full-on wall of sound that heralds Sound OfThe City, an up-tempo pub rock blast. Not as expansive, One Mississippiyet again has some Springsteen elements: acoustic guitar, rolling organ withenough thrust to keep your attention once more. Haunting Lord, How Long?closes yet another excellent album.
Theres only one thing missing here, and thats a killer track (Radio 2 fodder)like Grays Babylon which effectively made his name.
Cmon Tom, we all know youve got it in you. You need a bigger audience, becauseyoure worth it.
Weblink:tommcrae.com
The full list of tracks included are :
1. Set The Story Straight
2. Bright Lights
3. Got A Suitcase, Got Regrets
4. Keep Your Picture Clear
5. Houdini And The Girl
6. Sound Of The City
7. On And On
8. Deliver Me
9. One Mississippi
10. The Ballad Of Amelia Earhart
11. Lord, How Long
Elly Roberts passed away in 2011, but he was a man who was so passionate about all types of music and loved meeting his musical heroes, such as Mick Hucknall at a book signing at the Trafford Centre, Manchester in 2007.
A former teacher and also a music journalist, DJ and radio presenter on local community station Calon FM, plus appearances on BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru and BBC Radio 2, Elly started doing reviews for DVDfever.co.uk in 2004 and he did the majority of the CD and concerts reviews on the website.
I know also that he loved getting away for the summer to Spain and I hope that wherever he is now he is enjoying the hot sunshine and, as one of his friends has said on his Facebook page, that he is interviewing his musical heroes.