Martin Stephenson

Albums named after the artist often betray a paucity of imagination that bodes ill for the fan, but Martin Stephenson’s latest opus might just be an exception that proves that rule.

A mere twenty seconds into the opening track, the reworked ‘Look Down Look Down’, with its rampant guitar, spitfire vocals and rattling drums, and it’s all over bar the listening. This is Stephenson enjoying a second shot at thirteen of his previous recordings and the effect of his revisions of familiar material is often breathtakingly brilliant.

The aforementioned opener, for example, has lost the tweeness of the original and simply goes unapologetically for the jugular. Similarly, ‘Little Red Bottle’ sloughs off its European cabaret/martial Leonard Cohenisms and discovers a more convincing gypsy flavour underneath, enhanced by Dave Fleming’s handsome nylon-string guitar playing. ‘Slaughterman’ belies its title with its light teasing lilt and musical subtlety while ‘All Ways Up’ evokes the spirit of Jim Morrison while in the process managing to namecheck Daniel O’Donnell.

The gypsied-up ‘Song Of Love And Destruction’ lopes along like a lo-fi Santana while Ray Burns’ harp lifts the seductive joy of ‘Coleen’. ‘Bridge of Nae Hope’ is a disarmingly beautiful blend of band percussion, voices and acoustic guitar that could have slid into a folk-mass morass but doesn’t. The aptly-named Maria Lark sparkles on that one and several others.

That so many diverse musical styles can contribute to such a consistent and seamless collection is testament to Martin Stephenson’s lyrical and musical genius. Shamefully underrated, here is ample evidence of his proper place in the songwriting pantheon.