Davey Woodward - Mumbo in the Jumbo

  by Dixie Ernill

published: 8 / 6 / 2025

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In 1983 when Davey Woodward put out his first record, ‘She’s Got Fever, in his days as the driving force in indie band The Brilliant Corners he would have no doubt laughed off the possibility of still releasing music forty-two years later. Yet here we are with a new album, his second solo album, and the eighteenth of his career. His longevity has only been achieved because he has consistently made great records and whilst he has allowed his style an eclectic freedom, the core elements of relatable lyrics and fine melody have remained constant. His previous solo album, ‘6 Miles East of Here 5 Miles North of Nowhere’, came out fourteen years ago and despite the band-based activity between then and now (several releases for Experimental Pop Band, Karen and The Winter Orphans), plus a Brilliant Corners re-union tour, ‘Mumbo In The Jumbo kind of follows on nicely. The usual long-standing influences can be detected in places (a nod to Dylan here with liberal splashes harmonica too, a wink at Bowie there and of course The Velvet Underground – ‘Normal People’ is possibly the best single that Lou Reed never made), but this is not a copyist album. Davey Woodward is very much the captain of his own ship and whilst he has devoured music for six decades, he is as much influenced by life’s experiences as he is in its soundtrack. The sleeve notes offer a skewed peep into the songs without giving the game away, but very few of his songs are actually completely factual. Instead, it’s elements of truth, fiction and poetic licence that colour these twisted vignettes of everyday life and make for an intriguing listen. Musically there is diversity too – folk, pop, rock, country even (there’s always been an element of country woven into many of his albums), mainly with a 60’s, 70’s and 80’s feel, but in a way that is fresh and now. ‘Watch Out’ could have been recorded at the same time as The Brilliant Corners’ ‘My Baby in Black’, whilst Paul McCartney would have been delighted to have presented ‘Missing’ at a Beatles band session in the late 60’s. You can imagine Davey strumming ‘Kissing You’ on the veranda of a ranch whilst cursing his luck and slugging a drop of cheap fire water. In contrast the title track has an upbeat bounce and having heard Davey performing ‘Singing A Song In The Morning’ at early Winter Orphans gigs it is easy to see the influence that Kevin Ayers has on it. The real strength of the album comes in the run of songs in the middle – the aforementioned ‘Normal People’, ‘Watch Out’ and ‘Missing’ along with the instant pop of ‘Metrosexual Man’ and the quite brilliant ‘Silver Button Purple Loons’. A fairly sterile version of the latter was knocking about in demo form a dozen years ago, but now it’s been updated to a bright and warm tune that is somewhat at odds with the dark subject matter. That of course is the genius bit. On ‘Don’t Phone Me’ Davey has used snippets of an overheard phone call between two estranged lovers to fashion a fine final track of a great album. While the stadium tours may have cruelly passed him by, Davey Woodward remains a highly gifted troubadour with effortless ability to conjure up fistfuls of wonderful songs seemingly at will. He’s been in the studio recently too, so even at 65 it seems the conveyor belt is showing no sign of slowing up – long may the wheels keep turning.

Track Listing:-

1 Mumbo In The Jumbo
2 It Takes A Whole Lot Of Soul To Fill A Cup
3 Warm & Torn
4 The Radio Says
5 Kissing You
6 Watch Out
7 Missing
8 Silver Button Purple Loons
9 Normal People
10 Metrosexual Man
11 Look What They Done
12 Don't Phone Me

Band Links:-

https://www.facebook.com/daveysongs
https://daveywoodward.bandcamp.com/

Play in YouTube:-

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