After a series of cover albums, Belfast’s legendarily brilliant but also difficult, controversial, moody and mercurial singer-songwriter returns with an LP of love-song originals, full of much of the soulful warmth, tenderness, nuance and mellow fluidity many of his past classics. Flooded Fusing Celtic folk, country, gospel, blue-eyed soul, rock, blues and jazz, his versatile, distinctive saxophone-like voice is as strong as ever, with sweet melodies, rolling piano and organ, and rich soul and string arrangements, he seems like a man who seems to have found peace again, with candidly positive, uplifting standouts including Down To Joy, Remembering Now (“This is what I need/ Back here on the street/ Back in Belfast/ Strumming this guitar/ It took me very far/ This is who I am/ This is where we are”); If It Wasn’t For Ray (a tribute reference to Ray Charles); Cutting Corners, Love, Lover and Beloved, Haven’t Lost My Sense of Wonder, and Back To Writing Love Songs. There’s such a summery breeze, ease and flow to these numbers, they are like some finely matured wine. Great to see him back on form and sticking to what he does best. Out on Exile Productions.
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