Kicking around since the late ‘70s in various guises, Kelly is an Aussie legend and a tireless live performer who has reached iconic status in his homeland (his lyrics are the subject of university courses, while he recently performed his back-catalogue in alphabetical order over four nights) Hard to pin down stylistically, he veers from folk to country, to art-rock and points in between, the results being not a million miles from that of our own Pierce Turner. Ever the maverick Stolen Apples continues this eclectic approach with a blend of styles and genres. The opening track ’Feelings Of Grief’ sports a bass rhythm reminiscent of U2’s ‘With Or Without You’; Hendrix-like feed-backed guitar heralds the title-track, while ‘God Told Me To’ rocks out with the ferocity of his compatriots, Midnight Oil.
If his ragged voice is something of an acquired taste, his canny songwriting and observational lyrics hit the spot most of the time, as on ‘Right Outta My Head’ a bitter but humorous break-up song: “I’m gonnn fuck her right outta my head/I’m gonna jump from bed to bed/Sally, Sonia, Sophie, Sue/Ain’t met ‘em all yet but I’m planning to.”
Other highlights include the gorgeous ballad/love song, ‘You’re 39, You’re Beautiful And You’re Mine’ and the bare-bones country honk of ‘The Foggy Fields Of France.’