Seventies singer songwriter turned 21st century independent music champion John Howard is back with another collection of nostalgic and melancholic pop.
We’ve already had a sneak preview of the album, through the early release of the track What God Is This, a powerful look at the lives lost to the 1980s HIV/AIDS crisis.
Another released early was fourth track Abbey Road, April 1974, about Howard’s beginnings of a pop career that never quite went the way he imagined as he stepped into the famed London musical temple where the Beatles once recorded.
With those in mind it’s time to tuck into this new album and it’s a fine opening song Chelsea Daze, a foot stomping early 1970s/late 1960s pop track, complete with nod to the Fab Four’s Lovely Rita.
Others of note on another consistent release is In the Pursuit Of, where I’m reminded of Neonfiller.com favourite XTC, who also did marvellously playful thinks with pop harmonies, particularly in their later work.
The title track is another of note that. According to John Howard this was inspired by his husband Neil’s life as a touring actor “and a conversation we had about why he rarely kept in touch with fellow actors from each production – there were simply too many to maintain contact with, everyone moving on to other productions in different places around the world”.
This thoughtful premise then “developed into a rather larger story as I sat at the piano working on the lyric”, said Howard. A fitting summary of his songwriting on this release that Howard produced, arranged and mixed himself at his home studio in Spain. He has also been aided by Prof. Stoned, who mastered the album.
By Joe Lepper
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