album overview

Brian Protheroe

A Salisbury Boy

DL solely

Out 1 September 2023

Celebrated actor and musician Brian Protheroe returns with a model new album -an eclectic mixture of songs thematically exploring Love, Struggle and Terpsichore! Our particular visitor reviewer is Medway musician and songwriter Kevin Youthful. 

Declaring an curiosity to start with, I’ve been a bit obsessed by Brian Protheroe’s single ‘Pinball’ – a modest chart hit again in 1974 – for a very long time. In actual fact, we did a cowl model of the tune for my band The Excessive Span’s debut album, kindly reviewed right here on LTW lately, and that’s the glad coincidence that sees me reviewing this new Brian Protheroe album.

Brian Protheroe is a stage and display actor in addition to a songwriter and musician, a veteran of the inventive explosion of the late-’60s/early-’70s and a pal and up to date of pop, people and blues artists resembling Paul Jones (Manfreds), Ian Anderson (Jethro Tull) and Julian Littman (Steeleye Span) – he has collaborated with all these and extra previously. The ensuing BP sound is a disarmingly middle-of-the-road mixture of nostalgia, yacht rock and gently progressive vibes, one thing like Neil Innes grooving with Justin Hayward and Steely Dan. He definitely doesn’t sound something like a 79-year-old, nailing that insouciant flared-trouser sunshine-pop temper in addition to any wavy-haired Jackie pin-up.

‘A Salisbury Boy’ is his seventh album, and it shows the identical dry wit and wistful invention that makes ‘Pinball’ such a delight. And in the identical approach, it requires a little bit of consideration to understand. Songwriter obsessives will twig to the mellow however barely off-kilter modifications, harking back to Joe Jackson or Supertramp, earlier than they decide up on the intriguing lyrics

The opener ‘Salisbury Boys’ is an outlier, with a barely heavier folk-rock really feel than the songs that observe, and an virtually Michael Stipe-like vocal framing a nostalgic nod to his early days in London as a brand new arrival from the nation.

‘Over Your Love’ is a piano and bass-driven strut laced with ’70s Moog thrives, an upbeat west coast AM radio hit if ever there was one, with hints of Andrew Gold and Mike Submit’s Rockford Information theme.

‘Songwriter’ mixes up a number of totally different strands, a sparse association like one thing Sting would possibly write, extra of these retro synth sounds, a smattering of atmospheric sound results and an anti-war lyric.

On ‘All of a sudden You’re Dancing’ there are flashes of Bacharach, with swooping chord modifications, breezy harmonica and clean backing vocals, whereas with ‘Sentimental Story’ he skirts Manilow territory. However worry not, that attribute quirkiness shines by way of – kitchen-sink lyrics meet Sgt. Pepper-era strings, and handle to steer issues nearer to a Scott 4 vignette. Which is an effective factor.

An elegantly structured tune with Spanish guitar and a moody contact of tango, ‘Good The Love’ retains the theme going, giving the chance for a little bit of clean crooning. That is adopted by ‘Wolfgang’, a heartfelt celebration of Mozart, which I’ve to confess I discover a bit much less interesting with its large hip hop rhythm, compulsory piano and string quotes and ELO choirs. An excessive amount of of a ‘Trendy Main Common’ and West Finish musical for my tastes, however the acrobatic vocals and lyrics are dealt with with aplomb.

‘Trying At You’ brings the album to a detailed, and it’s a reasonably low-key finale. Congas, bass and piano showcase the singing subtly, letting us marvel on the youthful readability of that voice. However it’s simplicity, charming as it’s, implies that issues barely fizzle out as an ending for an album, though it’s undoubtedly a really private approach of doing it.

So, not maybe the standard fare championed by Louder Than Struggle!, but when your tastes often stray within the path of any of the above talked about artists – to which you could possibly probably add Alan Value, Joe Jackson and Colin Blunstone – there are undoubtedly issues right here which may delight.

Purchase from Bandcamp

Brian Protheroe -The albums 1974-76 on Cherry Pink

All phrases Kevin Youthful from The Excessive Span following a suggestion by Ged Babey