|
Story: Paul White & Jack Foley
TIM Burgess may best be known as being frontman of The Charlatans
since 1989, but he is not averse to going it alone.
Having teamed up with the Chemical Brothers for Life Is Sweet,
and Saint Etienne, for Born on Christmas Day, the singer/songwriter
is now going it solo, while the Charlatans take a break.
IndieLondon's Paul White and Jack Foley have had a glimpse of
what to expect from the forthcoming album, I Believe, ahead
of his London dates on August 19 and 20 at The Scala.
And the first thing to say is that the new tracks contain plenty
of surprises, from Motown funk to head-nodding disco breaks.
On first listen, it seems there are comparisons to be made to
previous Charlatans sounds, particularly during first single,
I Believe In The Spirit, which is a good choice for the
Charlatans fans to feel the flow.
But this Northwich country boy is no slacker, as the songs Say
Yes and Be My Baby are thundering slices of quality
music and first-class writing, on Burgess' part.
|
 |
Say Yes, in particular, is a rocking tune, which allows
you to imagine Burgess bouncing around the stage.
In a way, this must feel, for Burgess, like a rebirth, a chance
for the artist to prove himself all over again, just as he had
to when The Charlatans were first starting out.
Be My Baby is like a modern day acoustic ballad, with
melancholic twists and the now trademark falsetto, complete with
strings and the mouth organ to begin with.
The track seems to draw on a lot of influences, from West Coast
cool to Sgt Pepper, while still maintaining an identity all of
its own.
Only A Boy, meanwhile, contains some happy-go-lucky horn
blasting, and is a B-line shaking trip through the happier side
of Tim's West Coast life.
Oh My Corazon fits in well with the rest of the album,
retaining the feelgood vibe which the rest of the track samplers
portray.
Which brings us to the single itself, an obvious choice for a
first release, given that it is most reminiscent of The Charlatans'
Wonderland sound, complete with falsetto and some folk guitars.
This album looks as though it will have everything good you will
expect from 'the Cheshire cat, including plenty of Dandelion and
Burdock'; which, roughly translated, means it's all good.
The single is out on August 25 and the album follows on September
8.
|
