O’ Connell and Love - Minesweeping

by Nicky Crewe

published: 8 / 9 / 2015

Label: Mountmellick Music
Format: CD

Stunning collaborative album between songwriter and musician Brendan Connell and Larry Love from Alabama 3, which includes guest vocal appearances from Pete Doherty, Buffy Saint Marie and Rumer

Review

I like looking at track lists to see if I can make a story from them. There are images of rocks and hard places, sea and sky in these. Brendan O’Connell credits Hastings with its stormy winter weather and depressing seaside arcades as inspiration. You would expect this dark moodiness from the collaboration that brought you Larry Love, aka Robert Love’s first solo album, 'Ghost Flight'. This album is about collaborations and contradictions, images and influences. Is it sweetly sinister or sinisterly sweet? It’s confusing. One of the first influences is Alabama 3. Larry Love’s distinctive voice combined with their dark Americana lyrics, where it’s been said Nashville meets acid house, is a tried and tested partnership. The band’s own history, going back to 1995, feeds into this. 'The Sopranos' theme tune, Rock Against Racism involvement, and favourites of both Irvine Welsh and Stephen King all adds up to something that makes a powerful statement. This is about reinvention and finding new and unexpected ways to make meaningful music, breaking down barriers and spreading the word. There are comparisons to be made between Love’s voice and Jim White. Sometimes he sounds like Leonard Cohen, even Dylan or Johnny Cash. It’s that gravel tone, associated with American singers but coming from the vocal chords of a man from Brixton. His image is part preacher man, occasional criminal. It could be intimidating. But then there are the guests he’s working with, Buffy Saint Marie, Rumer, Aurora Dawn, and June Miles Kington. That’s some roll call. The contrast of these female voices with his vocals is reminiscent of Johnny and June, or Leonard Cohen and Jennifer Warnes. So instead of being intimidating, it’s both familiar and accessible. For all that the lyrics explore dark places, the music is uplifting and enjoyable. The influences are all there, contributing to that sense of this being an old favourite of an album, even though you know you are listening to it for the first time. If you like JJ Cale, Van Morrison, Neil Young, Dylan and the Band, you’ll hear where it’s coming from. Then there are the musicians, with backgrounds as diverse as Burt Bacharach (Rob Shrakbari), Oasis (Jay Darlington), and Madness (Seamus Beaghen) and reggae toaster Tenor Fly. And I haven’t yet mentioned Pete Doherty reciting Wilfred Owen’s ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’. WB Yeats’ poem ‘The Circus Animals Desertion’ is read by Anna Allen, and Laurie Lee’s ‘Cider Rosie’ is referenced too. All of these musicians, singers, references and influences are brought together by dance producer Wizard, aka Greg Fleming. It seems a crazy combination but it works. When you get a great vocalist, brilliant song writing, interesting musicians and a range of influences coming together like this, the whole really is greater than the sum of the already considerable parts. Favourite tracks are ‘Hangover Me’ and ‘Love is like a Rolling Stone’, but the CD has been on repeat for a couple of days now and it just gets better and better.

Track Listing:-

1 Like a Wave Breaks on a Rock
2 Call a Cab, Cinderella (feat. Buffy
3 Hangover Me (feat. Rumer)
4 It Was the Sweetest Thing
5 Goodbye to Mr Blue Sky (feat. Aur
6 Shake off Your Shoes (feat. Rum
7 If It's Not Broken
8 Come on, Boy (feat. June Miles-Ki
9 Love Is Like a Rolling Stone (feat.
10 Where Silence Meets the Sea
11 The Man Inside the Mask
12 Uncertain Harbour (feat. Anna All
13 Minesweeping (feat. Pete Doherty)