
That’s a perfect intro, and very on-point. Now that I have it in hand, I can tell you that Return to Memphis is most certainly not a new Badfinger album. While Molland’s excellent previous solo releases—After the Pearl (1983), The Pilgrim (1992) and This Way Up (2001)—had a lot in common stylistically with his Badfinger work, especially the final two Badfinger albums Airwaves and Say No More—Return to Memphis finds him exploring a rootsier, more soulful side, with refreshing and very compelling results.
As Molland told me, the setup for Return to Memphis is very basic—Molland on guitars and lead vocals, Lester Snell on understated keyboards, Steve Potts on drums and Dave Smith on bass, backed up by four female vocalists. That’s it. No orchestras, no huge electronics-driven arrangements, no digitally tweaked production. This album could easily have been recorded in 1973. It sounds like some good musicians, a good band, playing through amps and into microphones. How lovely and how rare these days
The songs are equally understated—”Walk Out in the Rain” kicks off the album with a slow song that vaguely recalls Molland’s more melancholy material with the short-lived (but excellent) Natural Gas. “A Love Song” is a nice, mid-tempo tune with lovely backing vocals. “Ship to Mars” is funky and a little dark. “Frank and Me” is nicely driven by acoustic guitars and twangy lead lines, and wouldn’t be out of place on a John Hiatt album. “All I Need is Love” has an understated southern stomp, driven by Snell’s well-placed piano.
AVAILABLE AT GONZO:
No comments:
Post a Comment