LET’S CHANGE THE WORLD WITH MUSIC

Sporting a generous Moses-style beard, Paddy McAloon returns with this optimistically-titled concept album, a shelved opus from 1992 given a makeover by producer Calum Malcolm.
It’s a tightly-crafted work that departs little from the Prefab formula of yore, with McAloon in full flow on both the vocal and songwriting front, his lyrics often dealing with lofty issues of a religious bent.
‘Music Is a Princess’ is fetchingly swoonsome, and ‘Sweet Gospel Music’ is exactly what it says on the tin, while ‘Meet The New Mozart’ takes aim at artists who surrender to commercial temptations. Mentioning Chic’s Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers in the suave and swinging ‘I Love Music’ may date the lyrics and prompt some head-scratching, but it’s still vintage Sprout. On ‘Ride’ McAloon discusses spirituality, whilst ‘Let There Be Music’ is smooth Barry White orchestral disco. ‘Earth: The Story So Far’ is a brilliant title for a deliciously warm track that also has religious overtones. And McAloon’s at his audacious best on ‘Last Of The Great Romantics’, one of his finest efforts ever.
Sonically, Let’s Change The World With Music is located firmly in the ‘90s. However, music this good transcends time and trends.