Gilbert
O’Sullivan – S/T (Union Square / BMG)
Who’d have thought it? Gilbert O’Sullivan’s 19th
long-player, produced by one Ethan Johns (Kings Of Leon, Ryan Adams, etc.), and
hoovering up the plaudits like it’s 1972 - when great pop songs were the norm
and Mr. O’Sullivan regularly hit the charts.
For those who lost touch over the intervening years, this latest
collection is simply O’Sullivan at his best. Every song comes with classic pop
hooks and a way with words which both harks back to his heyday whilst sounding
remarkably timeless - which isn’t a trick most pop writers manage to pull
off. Johns’ production certainly helps. There’s absolutely nothing here that
sticks in one’s craw. Traditional instrumentation is used throughout, with keyboards
at the fore, and while there’s nothing here that is quite as quirky as, say,
‘Clare’ or ‘Underneath The Blanket’, he hits his songwriting form from the LP’s
off, and simply doesn’t relent.
The standout tracks are near impossible to decide, but I’ll have a
go anyway: opening cut ‘At the End of the Day’ provides a perfect start. It’s
probably the closest he gets to the old stuff, and if things like singles
mattered (or sold), then he’d be settling in for an eight week run on Top Of
The Pops. ‘I'll Never Love Again’ is pure pop, gentle and astute and ‘Dansette
Dreams and 45's’ might have been written (and titled) for fans of a certain
age, but it’s been executed with a degree of elegance and confidence that’s
utterly engaging.
Rollo
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