John McKeown: Things Worth Fighting For
John McKeown: Things Worth Fighting For
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Monday, 28, Sep 2009 05:42
Beatroute Records, out now.
In a nutshell...
Soulful solo effort with pedigree.
What's it all about?
Things Worth Fighting For is probably a collection of songs for when you're alone, perhaps late at night. It's John McKeown's first solo effort, and is a fine showcase for his vocal talents. Beyond that, the ten tracks on offer are mellow, fruitful moments of music that would be likely to please a fairly widespread audience.
In particular, title track Things Worth Fighting For echoes strains of McKeown's forerunners, such as Jackson Browne and Richard Thompson, as well as offering possibly the album's greatest injection of pace. I'd align it with Browne's The Naked Ride Home in terms of pace and personality, although it retains its own character all the same.
For the listener, what we're talking about here is an Americana-inspired album that has its own benefits, defying too close a categorisation but instead maintaining a steady theme of love and friendship that bears a pretty good chance of touching the hopes and fears of many of its listeners.
Who's it by?
After resisting the lure of a music career for much of his youth, John McKeown finally caved in and formed Hero in 2007. As co-founder of the band and frontman, he was seen - along with the rest of the group - during that year's Stereophonics tour of Europe. However, a year later, the Hero story drew to a close with the band parting on good terms. Since then, McKeown has worked on this, his first collection of solo material.
However, he is by no means alone, with backing instruments performed by some of the industry's session musicians who have themselves enjoyed star-studded previous collaborations. Former Madonna backing artist Ralph Salmins takes the drums, while KT Tunstall collaborator Arnulf Linder features on bass. Guitarist Adam Phillips also puts in an appearance, having previously worked with Richard Ashcroft.
As an example...
"Dream on, Valentine/Lay your skin next to mine/Cause I need to believe/The things you promised me." - Dream On Valentine
Likelihood of a trip to the Grammys
The quality is there, but this is the kind of collection that often seems to pass under the judges' radar.
What the others say
"I was not overly excited when the album popped through the letter box, but no-one was more surprised than me to find that this is actually a pretty good album." - The Music Critic
"What we have here is a well written album, with some beautiful instrumentation, that's not really different enough to stand out among its peers." - Music.co.uk
So is it any good?
I had no real expectations as I hit play on this one, but I'll admit to being pleasantly surprised. McKeown's vocals alone are particularly fine, but the album overall has the hallmark of a quality production - even down to the sleeve art. At ten tracks, there's just enough material to satisfy, while not too much that the listener is not left thirsty for more.
Some of the tracks have a familiar feel to them, particularly when compared against the work of Jackson Browne, which actually comes as praise more than as criticism. The only real downside is that there is a slight lack of variety - rarely is there an injection of energy or pace.
Despite that, the ten tracks that are presented are all of a good quality, with no out-of-place attempt to raise the energy quotient beyond the level necessary. The impression this leaves is that, rather than design a commercial collection, McKeown has instead opted to present the ten songs he feels best complement one another, making for a classy and satisfying listening experience.
8/10
Bob Bardsley