Patrick Duff - Luxury Problems

  by Anthony Strutt

published: 24 / 6 / 2005

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Review

Patrick Duff finally gets to release his first ever solo album after the split of Strangelove. The album kicks off what will be the CD's first single, the acoustic 'Married with Kids', which is both fast played and very elegant.It is very observant, and is very anti married with kids. The vocals and the lyrics are such that you know instantly this is Patrick Duff. 'Mirror Man' is very blues based, features a weird mouth organ, and is sung in a classy Dylan way. It is very dark but beautiful as well. 'Fucked', which again is very beautiful, has been part of Patrick's live set for a while, but on record is a piano based ballad.It is a sad tale, which, despite being sung in an easy listening manner, is very angry in tone. 'In My Junkie Clothes', like 'Mirror Man', once again is reminiscent of Dylan in its vocals, but this time Patrick is backed by a band who sound like the 70's style Stones. 'Song to America' is slowly sung, in a 50's Americana way. It is acoustic and on it Patrick sounds like Elvis Presley. 'Early Morning Birds'really does feature birds calling, and on it Patrick repeats "Early morning birds" over and over before going into full assault. Despite its experimental nature, it is a track which works well. On 'DJ Yoga' Patrick sounds like a male Patti Smith. Another blues tune, it is a sad tale of lost love and all that goes with it. 'King of the Underworld' is slow delivered in the style of a lullaby, while 'Refrigerator', which is another older song, has more of a band feel, but is not as confrontational as his live version. 'Mother Nature's Refugee' is so mellow and beautiful that it sounds like it should be the album's closer. There are, however, another two tracks to go and 'Elephant Bill' is more like the Patrick of old and of Strangelove. It is very manic in tone. The album ends with 'The Loin and the Hawthorn Tree' which is banjo based, slow, melodic, and softly played, and a strong ender. Patrick has delivered a good solo cd here. It is not what might have been expected, but at least he sounds happier with himself and for that we should be happy for him.

Track Listing:-

1 Married With Kids
2 Mirror Man
3 Fucked
4 In My Junkie Clothes
5 Song To America
6 Early Morning Birds
7 DJ Yoga
8 King Of The Underworld
9 Refrigerator
10 Mother Nature's Refugee
11 Elephant Bill
12 The Lion And The Hawthorn Tree
13 London
14 Rock'n'Roll Doctor
15 Chelsea Hotel

Band Links:-

https://www.facebook.com/PatrickDuffAr
https://twitter.com/patrick_duff

Label Links:-

https://www.facebook.com/HarvestRecord
http://www.harvestrecords.com/
https://twitter.com/harvest_records
https://instagram.com/harvestrecords/
https://www.youtube.com/user/harvestre