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Tuesday, January 24, 2006
Paul Kelly
I found out last week that Paul Kelly put out an album in 2005 and somehow I completely missed it. Media Play, a music/DVD/books selling superstore-type chain is closing down and liquidating, and my girlfriend and I visited one of the locations on our way somewhere else, and lo and behold, there was Foggy Highway by Paul Kelly and the Stormwater Boys.
In Australia, Paul Kelly is a household name, often referenced as "the Bruce Springsteen of Australia." It's not a bad comparison for several reasons. His music seems to tap into something unique about being Australian. Some of his best songs are about distinctly Australian experiences. On "Forty Miles to Saturday Night" his narrator talks about it being the weekend and driving forty miles to town for the chance to hang out for the night at a bar. In "From Little Things, Big Things Grow," the story is told of the first Aboriginal land rights case. Like Springsteen, Kelly is a provocative story teller, not afraid to take on a wide variety of tales and narrators, including, unlike most male singer/songwriters, female narrators. Another one of his best tunes, "Sweet Guy," is from the perspective of a woman trapped in an abusive relationship.
Another way Kelly and Springsteen are similar is their connection to folk music. Springsteen is known for his bombastic anthem rock story songs, but has always had a soft spot for Woody Guthrie. His stripped down acoustic albums (Nebraska, The Ghost of Tom Joad and Devils and Dust) are some of his best. Kelly's folk roots have always been a little more evident, as his best work with his band the Messengers are best categorized as folk/rock or Americana. Even so, stylistically Kelly has been all over the place since beginning his solo career, as his solo albums are more highly produced and venture further into pop, rock and even blues. Side projects include jazz, bluegrass and soundtrack efforts.
Kelly's folk influences are clearly evident on the release I stumbled across (for 60% off!) at Media Play last week. Foggy Highway, recorded with an all-star band of Austalia's best bluegrass pickers, features some of Kelly's early works in a bluegrass, as well as a few newly written tunes and a Louvin brothers cover ("You're Learning," a duet with Kasey Chambers). A bonus disk contains four additional tunes, including a cover of "Rank Stranger." Kelly's tenor voice is perfect for bluegrass, and the resettings of his early tunes are all strong, particularly "Rally Round the Drum", the story of a traveling show boxer, and "Cities of Texas." However, it is the new songs which steal the show, particularly because one would not expect Kelly to write two killer bluegrass gospel tunes. Both "Passed Over" and "Meet Me in the Middle of the Air" sound like they have been reverberating around the hills of Kentucky for over a century.
If I had found this album earlier, it would have been on my Top 10 of 2005. It's that good. And if you are not familiar with Paul Kelly, this is a good one to start with, though it's not truly indicative stylistically of much of what he's done. For a good introduction to his early stuff, start with his best-of compilation, Songs of the South or Comedy, which is I think his best with the Messengers. If you like a more folk/pop sound, try his solo CD Nothing But a Dream.
In Australia, Paul Kelly is a household name, often referenced as "the Bruce Springsteen of Australia." It's not a bad comparison for several reasons. His music seems to tap into something unique about being Australian. Some of his best songs are about distinctly Australian experiences. On "Forty Miles to Saturday Night" his narrator talks about it being the weekend and driving forty miles to town for the chance to hang out for the night at a bar. In "From Little Things, Big Things Grow," the story is told of the first Aboriginal land rights case. Like Springsteen, Kelly is a provocative story teller, not afraid to take on a wide variety of tales and narrators, including, unlike most male singer/songwriters, female narrators. Another one of his best tunes, "Sweet Guy," is from the perspective of a woman trapped in an abusive relationship.
Another way Kelly and Springsteen are similar is their connection to folk music. Springsteen is known for his bombastic anthem rock story songs, but has always had a soft spot for Woody Guthrie. His stripped down acoustic albums (Nebraska, The Ghost of Tom Joad and Devils and Dust) are some of his best. Kelly's folk roots have always been a little more evident, as his best work with his band the Messengers are best categorized as folk/rock or Americana. Even so, stylistically Kelly has been all over the place since beginning his solo career, as his solo albums are more highly produced and venture further into pop, rock and even blues. Side projects include jazz, bluegrass and soundtrack efforts.
Kelly's folk influences are clearly evident on the release I stumbled across (for 60% off!) at Media Play last week. Foggy Highway, recorded with an all-star band of Austalia's best bluegrass pickers, features some of Kelly's early works in a bluegrass, as well as a few newly written tunes and a Louvin brothers cover ("You're Learning," a duet with Kasey Chambers). A bonus disk contains four additional tunes, including a cover of "Rank Stranger." Kelly's tenor voice is perfect for bluegrass, and the resettings of his early tunes are all strong, particularly "Rally Round the Drum", the story of a traveling show boxer, and "Cities of Texas." However, it is the new songs which steal the show, particularly because one would not expect Kelly to write two killer bluegrass gospel tunes. Both "Passed Over" and "Meet Me in the Middle of the Air" sound like they have been reverberating around the hills of Kentucky for over a century.
If I had found this album earlier, it would have been on my Top 10 of 2005. It's that good. And if you are not familiar with Paul Kelly, this is a good one to start with, though it's not truly indicative stylistically of much of what he's done. For a good introduction to his early stuff, start with his best-of compilation, Songs of the South or Comedy, which is I think his best with the Messengers. If you like a more folk/pop sound, try his solo CD Nothing But a Dream.
Labels: Reviews
