Utterly, utterly gleeful. This 22-track double album oozes exuberance, joy and hope despite being yet another made-in-lockdown production. Its pace and positivity leaves you slightly bewildered, thinking “what, another great pop tune, how does he do it?” And once you find a favourite (the bontempi-powered madness of “Curiosity”, sweet and sentimental “Flamingo”, the multi-voice celebration of “Kinetic Connection”, the throwaway jubilation of “Here Comes the Weekend” perhaps), there’s another following straight behind (string-rich “Quarter to Eight” with it’s reference to Roddy Frame?).
On first listen, it’s almost exhausting – most artists would have split this into two releases – but it’s as if Burgess is coming into his own (and we thought we’d all witnessed that with previous solo releases and, of course, The Charlatans). And it’s not in the least indulgent as some double LPs of yore tended to be. Not bad for a 55-year-old with a 32-year-career. We’ll have some of what he’s having (although, apparently, those days are long gone).
The title track is a giddy-up chase along rumble tumble of pop perfection and in no way “typical”. “A Bloody Nose” catapults us back to the early 1990s with an early Charlatan’s vibe, Beatles-esque “View From Above” tells us to “go forth and be who you are, you’re raising the bar”, “Sure Enough” is a beautiful reckoning of a life with shades of Badly Drawn Boy’s melodiousness (and a reminder of a partly forgotten phrase – “might as well get hanged for a sheep as a lamb”). “Time That We Called Time” was apparently written at a time of particular disillusionment during lockdown, but if there’s one thing Burgess can’t do, it’s miserable – it’s yet another gem. The closer, “When I See You” starts with a spoken introduction that would be a cheese-fest handled by anyone else; in fact it’s a fresh-as-a-daisy love song.
Inclusivity is a key part of his charm, most recently demonstrated in the hugely popular Twitter Listening Parties he instigated at the start of lockdown. And this is a work that absolutely insists you sing along, smiling. Quite frankly, with this confection, Mr Burgess, you are spoiling us!
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