John Rooney - Still Here

by Malcolm Carter

published: 31 / 10 / 2017

Label: Half an Arc
Format: CD

First ‘solo’ album from Coronet Blue and the Lonelyhearts John Rooney furthers his pop/soul vision with excellent results

Review

And we should be glad that he is and that former Lonelyheart John Rooney is still making such life-affirming music. That alone is strange at times because Rooney has never shied away from a certain darkness at times in his lyrics but those melodies that he clothes his words in, be it a power-pop influenced tune that immediately takes the listener back to being sixteen again, or a more sophisticated blue-eyed soul groove, hang around in your head for days, even after just one listen. ‘Still Here’ is the first album that Rooney has released under his own name and there’s really not much change from his previous albums released under the Coronet Blue moniker. The set was again produced by Kevin Shirley and recorded in Las Vegas. Mitch Easter makes a welcome return this time as guitarist (having produced Rooney in the past), Pat Thrall returns also on guitar and Kenny Greenberg (who, like producer Shirley really needs no introduction; having worked with so many artists between them we could fill the page with just names) handles lead guitar on just over half the tracks and that alone is worth the price of admission. But add to that the fact that Rooney again shares songwriting duties with former Lonelyheart Tom Watson, Georgina Johnston and Kenny Miller as well as Stuart Fraser and you are guaranteed that not only are the playing and production going to be first-class but that the songwriting is more than a cut above average too. Although ‘Still Here’ is still in the vein of Rooney’s previous work there are a few slight but noticeable changes. Rooney’s mellow vocal style inhibits him from being a soul-shouter but there’s so much emotion expressed throughout this album, as there was to a lesser degree on ‘Better Day’, that, despite, as on the opening song, ‘Fairground Ride’ with his power-pop sensibilities well to the fore, it’s difficult to think of another singer who can take such a 60's inspired song (the ooh- la- la-las are brilliant) and make it sound so soulful. Rooney has never let us down vocally but these latest recordings rank as some of his best performances. Maybe it’s down to some fairy dust that Shirley sprinkled around the studio or just some new found confidence that Rooney has hit upon but his vocals have never sounded so good or so strong while not losing any of the nuances that he held before. There were times on ‘Better Day’ when Rooney was best described as a blue-eyed soul singer of some worth but on ‘Fall into the Ocean’ here he takes it all to another level. As usual with Rooney his melodies at once seem familiar and fresh. You think you’ve been listening to this song all your life but know that’s impossible. The backing vocals, Greenberg’s guitar, the fantastic production along with one of Rooney’s best-ever vocals make this song an early highlight. There’s a film-soundtrack quality to the title song. It’s no surprise that this is a guitar album given the choice of musicians, and again one wonders how much input producer Shirley had in developing the resulting sound. With both Easter and Greenberg on board (and Pat Thrall back on guitar on the stomping ‘If I Were You’ so a little of the glory has to be directed in his direction), it’s doubtful that the results were going to be anything but essential listening but, coupled with Rooney’s songwriting skills and this feeling that he’s never felt more comfortable singing, it makes for Rooney’s most instantly appealing set of songs yet. One can only hope that this unit stays together for at least a while longer producing more albums of this quality. Listen to the lead guitar (Greenberg again) on ‘High Up in the Sky’ that seamlessly takes over from Rooney’s vocals. It’s chills down the spine time again. There are albums that demand to be listened to on headphones, those that are driving albums and then the 3 a.m. ones. ‘Still Here’ works on all levels. It’s forever being praised when being played in the car by people who usually wouldn’t pay attention to the music. There are tracks such as ‘In the End’ once again featuring a choir of soulful backing vocalists and more searing guitar work that will get you through those sleepless nights and yet for this listener the best result is through headphones where you can fully appreciate every shade of the music that Rooney and company shift through. Maybe the biggest surprise is that at times there’s this feeling (at least on some of the songs) that Noel Gallagher has been aiming to write songs like this for years and that Liam hasn’t a chance in hell of ever achieving. There’s this indie-type feel running through some of the tracks, something that hasn’t really been noticeable in Rooney’s previous, recent work. There’s an obvious 60's influence at work here, something that was expected, but those vocals have definitely taken on something of a new life and this latest batch of musicians, coupled with Rooney’s proven songwriting partners, have really moved Rooney’s work up a notch. And who would have thought that was possible? Just now ‘Guilt Street’, one of the album’s slower tracks, is proving to be the favourite with another killer melody and irresistible chorus, it encompasses all that is special about this album and when the female vocalist (Georgina Johnston?) takes the last verse you begin to wonder; is this the definition of the perfect pop song? It certainly contains all the ingredients. John Rooney makes albums far too infrequently but when they are of this calibre they’re certainly worth waiting for. ‘Still Here’ is what intelligent, soulful pop music is all about.

Track Listing:-

1 Fairground Ride
2 Fall into the Ocean
3 Still Here
4 High up in the Sky
5 In the End
6 Without You
7 Night Letters
8 Last Lullaby
9 Sea of Tears
10 Don't You Think
11 Guilt Street
12 If I Were You
13 If I Were You
14 Whatever the Difference