Roy Moller and Sporting Hero - The Singing's Getting Better

by Andy Cassidy

published: 26 / 6 / 2012

Roy Moller and Sporting Hero - The Singing's Getting Better

Label: Mecca Holding Co.
Format: CD

Excellent acoustic and country-tinged third album from underacknowledged Glasgow-based singer-songwriter Roy Moller, who has combined on it with Northern Irish multi-instrumentalist Sporting Hero

Review

That Roy Moller can still be described as Scotland’s best kept secret is a mystery to me. His abilities are obvious and this, his third LP, is yet another cracker from one of Scotland’s most original contemporary songwriters. The album opens with 'All the World', the first of two duets with Thrum’s Monica Queen. Dylan-esque and reminiscent in places of 'Love Hurts', Moller and Queen evoke Gram and Emmylou effortlessly and the pair’s delivery of a superb set of lyrics is truly inspired. Second track, 'Losin’ the Will to Give', is a more upbeat number, and, like much of Moller’s previous work, is full of great hooks, a superb melody, fantastic lyrics and a superb power-pop arrangement. Moller’s gift for lyrics is equalled only by his incredible ear for a catchy tune, and this track illustrates both gifts to full effect. Kink-esque 'Close Enough for Jazz' is one of the highlights of the album. Lyrically it is every bit as quirky as the very best of Ray Davies and musically the track is a jaunty toe-tapper. It’s the perfect song for summer, a fact that is hinted at in the lyric “take off your winter dress.” Moller’s lyrics are wonderfully ironic at times (“I’m not a sentimental guy/I’ve been that way since the good old days"), and the self-deprecating humour of the album’s title is a continual thread throughout the set. Personally my favourite track is Pop Music Bores. Having been described as a pop music bore myself (more times than I care to remember), the song made me smile through-out: it’s nice to see us geeks getting some recognition at last (especially, I suspect, when it comes from one of our own!). 'The Singing’s Getting Better' is a more acoustic and country-tinged affair than Moller’s previous albums, but he seems completely at home with any genre. Even despite the prevailing acoustic mood, tracks like 'Losing the Will to Give' and 'Beneath the Tarmac' show that he is as comfortable when rocking as he is when singing a plaintive ballad. This album is a superb addition to Moller’s already impressive canon. Musically and lyrically he is clearly at the top of his game. I hope that this will be the album that brings Moller’s work to the wider audience that it deserves.

Track Listing:-

1 All The World
2 Losing The Will To Give
3 Golden Grey
4 Mis-Spent Youth
5 Beneath The Tarmac
6 If I Was Like You
7 Close Enough For Jazz
8 I Remember Dreams
9 I Love You More Than I Hate Him
10 Pop Music Bores
11 The Singing's Getting Better
12 Love Is The Easy Way Out