Bill Lloyd - Back To Even

  by Malcolm Carter

published: 11 / 7 / 2004

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Review

One of the best albums so far this year is the album ‘Paparazzi’, the collaboration between those two masters of melodic power pop, Bill Lloyd and Jamie Hoover. The summer has been short lived in Borthern Europe this year but stick that album in the car stereo and the clouds and rain drift away and the sun shines forever. The fact that the pair are workaholics is no secret but now they both have solo albums released this month ( Hoover’s is actually a compilation) and the fact that they are both just as good as ‘Paparazzi’ is, given their past records, to be expected. For his album Bill Lloyd has assembled 15 songs, 7 of which he wrote alone and 8 which he co-wrote with a variety of other musicians. Lloyd has had a long musical career which is far too long to go into here in detail, but it shows how well he is respected when his co-writers on this album include Beth Nielsen Chapman, Peter Case and Clive Gregson to name just a few. That his co-writers also found time to play on the album as well reinforces the respect Lloyd has even from artists who would not normally be grouped in the same musical genre as he is. The album starts with the title track and it’s classic Lloyd. A co-write with Don Henry it’s full of the ringing guitars, harmonies and those melodies which Lloyd seems to pluck from a bottomless pit. A faultless start, but the second track, ‘Dancing With The Past’, a co-write with Beth Nielsen Chapman who adds gorgeous backing vocals, (and for a further taste of this magic check out ‘Trying To Love You’, another co-write between the two which is a highlight of Beth Nielsen Chapman’s latest album ‘Look’) is absolutely stunning. The way it segues into the all too short instrumental ‘Hindon’t’ on which Lloyd plays all the instruments including sitar is the work of a genius. I don’t want to bang on about the melody of ‘Dancing With The Past’; any tune Lloyd puts his name to is how heaven should sound to anyone who has a liking for this thing called power pop or just good pop music. The same goes for his distinctive guitar sound, Lloyd is one of the best at what he does and it’s a true crime that the man doesn’t sell more records. How can a musician who constantly turns out well produced, well played, well crafted pop songs and who has the respect of his fellow artists still only appeal to a small (but ever growing) section of the record buying public? As with any of Lloyd’s albums it’s pointless trying to pick a favourite. There's always the chiming Byrds inspired songs which have become Lloyd’s trademark but on this album there are a couple of songs where Lloyd slows things down a little and which highlight Lloyd’s more sensitive side. The first is ‘The World Is A Different Place Without You’, a solo Lloyd composition on which Lloyd plays all the instruments except for the string bass which is handled by Byron House. It’s an acoustic ballad, a love song and Lloyd supplies all the vocals. If it doesn’t break your heart start worrying; you don’t have one. The other song which actually follows on from ‘The World Is A Different Place Without You’ is ‘For The Longest Time’ a co write with Peter Case who also adds harmony vocals on the song (along with Kim Richey) and harmonica. Making up with a former lover has never sounded so sweet. It seems that the mandolin has been a favourite instrument of Lloyd’s during the making of this album; it features heavily on at least six of these songs to great effect particularly on ‘Another Side’. So another Bill Lloyd album, another 15 songs of classic pop music to cherish until the next one which judging by his current work rate won’t be too long!

Track Listing:-

1 Back to Even
2 Dancing With The Past
3 Hindon't (Instrumental)
4 Dial Nine
5 Almost Taken
6 I Got It Bad
7 The World Is A Different Place Without You
8 For The Longest Time
9 Kissed Your Sister
10 We Are Two
11 Me Against Me
12 The Perfect Crime
13 A Story I Can't Tell
14 Another Side
15 Oasis