Stephen Fretwell: Man on the Roof
Stephen Fretwell: Scunthorpe's finest
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Friday, 07, Sep 2007 12:01
Fiction, September 10th.
In a nutshell.
Chilled out. Sentimental. Bob Dylan.
What's it all about?
A second album release from the gravely voiced Fretwell is a joy to behold. Any album with a song titled William Shatner's Dog has to be heard. It's perfect for those end-of-summer evenings, where there is still enough sun left to forget about the rubbish few months on the way.
After getting critical acclaim from the likes of NME back in 2000, it seems a long wait for album number two. After Magpie, released in 2004, Fretwell has supported Oasis, Travis and Elbow along the way to his third EP, Four Letter Words, which he released in May this year.
Man on the Roof sees a more mature Fretwell take on 14 songs and produce a stunning album. More Bob Dylan than Travis, it gently sways through like a walk back in time, to a place before the invention of internet, mobile phones and digital TV. Classic.
Who's it by
"Scunthorpe's finest export...ever", as Q Magazine once described Fretwell, has made it the hard way. He self-funded his two EPs, Something's Got To Give and The Lines before getting signed. The gold-certified Magpie followed to huge critical success, something which Fretwell still finds hard to believe.
As an example.
"All the nuns around/ Parade in the square/ The bells are ringing and there's a crack in the grain of the chair/ And the mess on the floor reminds me of last night." - Funny Hat
Likelihood of a trip to the Grammys
No chance; Fretwell is not mainstream enough. Stunning album but he will stay outside the mainstream, which makes it all the better for those in the know.
What the others say
"This disc single-handedly stops you caring about the [James] Blunt mediocrity elsewhere. Essential purchase." - Contact Music.
So is it any good?
In a word, if you haven't guessed it so far; yes. Fretwell's songwriting has come on leaps and bounds from his previous efforts and that is something, considering the quality of Magpie.
The album ebbs and flows as if part of a dreamy state of consciousness. The jaunty Coney is followed by the eerie Darlin' Don't, which the drifts slowly into She. The sign of true class is when a band or artist doesn't have to try hard to get the sound they want. On this offering, Fretwell is amongst the best of them.
First single Scar is a folksy little number designed to make the hairs on your arms stand while the breathless vocals on Funny Hat sound more like Dylan than ever. Off the back of Man On The Roof, comparisons to the equally talented Willy Mason are sure to be made.
It's not perfect but it's very, very close.
9/10
Richard Fox