The Housemartins and Beautiful South’s main man and renowned singer-songwriter, and famously generous pub supporter returns with his 10th solo album of tuneful, clever, warm-hearted but also gently acerbic indie pop. It seems appropriate then that these songs do have a pub singalong appeal, and that the first is titled National Treasure, especially after this year’s Glastonbury appearance, and although a perky tune, there’s always a darker, more nuanced side to Heaton’s lyrics in this portrait of ageing Britons and Brexit-era Anglo-Saxon attitudes: “That'll be us in our wheelchairs / That'll be us on the prom/ That'll be us looking out at the sea / After the sunlight's gone.” See also the later toe-tapping Irish ironic sea-shanty number Small Boats, featuring guest singer Danny Muldoon. As also in the jaunty rolling country-style Just Another Family there’s always bitter salt and sweet cheer in Heaton’s brand of earthy fun, but among many catchy standouts here is Quicksand, featuring one of several featuring singer Rianne Downey, who takes the place of longtime collaborator Jacqui Abbott on this album. Again there’s a cheerful edge to the lyrics: “Between the jukebox and ladies loos / A crazy path nobody would choose / We're on a once-in-a-lifetime cruise / This place is like quicksand.” After The Sugar Rush is a quieter, more reflective power ballad-style song, and there are dynamic mood changes across the album, all the way to closer Walk On, Slow Down. Pubs, fish and chips (Fish ‘N’ Chip Supper) and other familiar detail pop up throughout the album depicting many sides of British culture, in a clever, fun album that takes stock of the UK and time of life with warm, mostly catchy, but also pointed songs, co-produced by Lightning Seeds’ Ian Broudie. Out on EMI.
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