(Head)

18 years after his Good Humour album, is Cummings smiling again?

One way or another, from his early days in The Pelaco Brothers and his pop profile in The Sports to his solo years, Stephen Cummings has more than 20 albums to his credit. Across that timespan, he’d never seemed all that happy but this set now outs him as a cheerful bloke – maybe. Anyway, it appears he’s stopped agonising over making albums – this ten-track effort, made with long time mates Bill McDonald on bass and Billy Miller on guitar sharing the production, took only two days to record and a day to mix. That gives these ten songs a natural feel, emphasised by a more acoustic approach and a lack of drums, the percussion based on handclaps and keyboard effects. Still, this is no laidback affair. From the taut emotional downturn of Don’t You Ever Listen To Me? to the more cynical, stressed tone of Sick Comedian, Cumming isn’t resting on any of his laurels. But then, This Song Can Save You and Straight To Your Arms have a warmer aspect, and (mirroring his own journey into books) he indulges his literary senses in songs like Raymond Chandler And Edward Hopper and The Ballad Of Henry Miller. So he’s happy enough then, I’d say.

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BILL HOLDSWORTH

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