When I interviewed Joey Molland of the legendary British power-pop band Badfinger in October, he had this to say about his new CDReturn to Memphis: “I did it in Memphis, mainly because I grew up listening to Memphis music … it’s always been a great, favorite music city for me. I happened to go there to do a session, and I did it at Willie Mitchell’s studio, Royal Studios … you go through that door there and it’s like walking into 1950 or 1960. … And I just fell in love with the place and decided, ‘Well, hell, I’m going to make a record, so I’m going to come here to make it.’ It’s quite a different-sounding record for me; it’s a little nervy to tell you the truth. It’s not like a Badfinger record or an English rock and roll record. It’s me and three Memphis cats playing … and a Memphis producer, and four girl singers.”
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.
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