Persevere

Craig and Charlie Reid are back with their fourth LP and the first since Hit The Highway back in 1994. Since then, the brothers have kept a low profile musically, contributing the odd song to Hollywood soundtracks, and have spent the intervening years raising their families and burying their father (evoked here in the plaintive ‘One Too Many’ and ‘Act Of Remembrance’).

The good news, though, is that the lifelong Hibs fans sound as good as ever. Their unashamedly Scottish brogues still sound refreshingly open and honest, particulary when contrasted with the Americanised accents being adopted by shertain pop shingers (sic).

The songs fall roughly into two thematic camps: relationships and social commentary, but The Proclaimers being The Proclaimers, there’s nothing predictable about the outcome of either. Also, whether they’re waxing lyrical about being turned on (the honkytonk ‘She Arouses Me So’) or the state of modern Scotland (’Scotland’s Story’ and ‘A Land Fit For Zeros’), there’s a wonderful singalongability pervading the entire album.

They still have the jumpers, the glasses and, thankfully, the tunes. It may have been a long time coming, but as its name suggests, Persevere was worth the wait.