Johnny Boy Would Love This… A Tribute To John Martyn

It says something about the sweep of John Martyn’s appeal that this sprawling tribute record brings together Phil Collins, The Cure’s Robert Smith, Paolo Nutini and Beck. Far from a tawdry cash-in, the project is a labour of devotion for American producers Jim Tullio and Pete Mason, who began work on it shortly after the singer passed away in January 2009 (Tullio also wrangled Martyn’s post-humous Heaven And Earth into releasable form). What all the contributors share is a reverence for Martyn’s songwriting that at times verges on the awestruck – this is one of those tribute albums where artists approach the subject matter on bended knee rather than with a mischievous glimmer in the eye. And for the most part, the results are stunning.

Tackling ‘Tearing And Breaking’ Phil Collins – didn’t he retire? – captures the quicksilver lilt of the original whilst staying clear of mere pastiche; The Swell Season’s rendering of ‘I Don’t Want To Know’ conveys a tingle-down-the-spine intimacy. Stepping confidently outsize his comfort area, Smith, meanwhile, tackles the potentially tricky ‘Small Hours’, a song which Martyn recorded to such perfection it is difficult to see where another artist could take it. But by raising the tempo a tad and making the arrangements more complex, The Cure man carries the day. As the album title suggests, somewhere up there, the big man would surely approve.