It has been a loong five years since Martin Harley’s last release ‘Roll With The Punches’, released the same year I saw him supporting Keb Mo at the Union Chapel – one of the highlights of that year. This new one is simply sublime. Probably the best roots Blues album I’ve heard this year – or the last few years for that matter.
Harley’s voice is fine, better than most, and he is able to sing in a number of styles. But it is his musicianship & songwriting that really sets him apart. He plays the Weissenborn guitar, acoustic, lap steel and resonators and is joined here by Nigel Stonier on ‘additional guitars’, keyboards, bass, ukelele, dulcimer and backing vocals. Mark Lewis plays the upright bass, Luke Shenton is on drums, CJ Hillman on Pedal Steel, Paddy Milner on piano & Clive Mellor on harmonica. All the songs were written by Harley and the album was produced, brilliantly, by Stonier. So to the music. The songs are in very different styles but there is definitely a sense that all the songs are part of a whole. Opening with the title track, straight into a resonator slide, a bucolic sense of the morning sun shining down where there is no care. A really happy song, faintly reminiscent of Ry Cooder meeting Taj Mahal.
‘Lemonade’ is gorgeous, apparently written to give the feeling of bubbles rising in a glass only to burst at the very top. Harley says that he tips his hat to Leon Redbone on this but also The Lovin’ Spoonful. Just about the joy of a sunny disposition and with some great piano from Milner.
Says Harley “Morning Sun and Lemonade are both songs that relate to the fact I’ve given up drinking in the past couple of years. That definitely affected the direction of the record. For many years I’ve used alcohol as an emotional regulator, therefore making a record completely sober had some terrifying moments. Not only that making records is already a very difficult thing to do but suddenly I couldn’t lean on that thing which helped me switch off the hypocritical part of my brain. Helped me smooth over the bumps, separate myself from the songs for a while. The process has helped me learn more about myself and how to manage my creativity.”
‘Stranger In My Home’ is dark and dense with great guitar lines and a chilling vocal from Harley. All of the songs have meaning and for once, the singing is clear enough to hear the lyrics and place the words to the mood of the music.
There isn’t a weak song, or a duff note here. The production is perfect, giving each song an identity.
