- Label
- Heavenly
- Release date
- 17th September 2007
- Genre
- Rock
- Buy this album
- Order CD
Superb new solo work from hard-working indie mainstay
Edwyn Collins’ lucky break – the wildly popular A Girl Like You – came after decades of hard work with Orange Juice and as a solo artist, giving the world a large-scale introduction to his unique style. Since then – worrying bouts of illness notwithstanding – his time has been spent producing other artists, and making rather a fine job of it.
This new solo album collects his styles – fuzzy rock, booming blues, mellow balladry – and seems to follow on from his recent work with the likes of Little Barrie, rather than attempting to re-tread any of his past glories. Songs such as You’ll Never Know (My Love) and 7th Son are deep, funky and urgent, showcasing his superb voice effectively; slower numbers such as Leviathan bring together Simple Minds-esque grandness with Beta Band-tinged production tricks and poetics. Collins’ effortless coolness is shot through each of these songs, his guitar playing is accomplished, and even though this album speaks very much as the work of a man just doing what he wants to, it’s never irrelevant, and consistently excellent.
More to try: Little Barrie: We Are Little Barrie St Etienne: Fox Base Alpha Heavy Trash: Heavy Trash Simple Minds: New Gold Dream
