It is well documented that Merseyside has produced many great musical artists over the years. From The Beatles to Cast, Echo & The Bunnymen and Ken Dodd, the music scene would be very different today without their influences. We would also never have seen the joyful phenomenon that is Rickrolling!
Another from the Mersey production line is The Zutons. Although it may have been sixteen years since their last album, you've probably heard their song 'Valerie' being slaughtered in numerous karaoke bars by moaning harpies who've had too many gin and tonics and suddenly think they can sing like Amy Winehouse. I'm all for people having fun, but sometimes you just have to call the authorities.
Although the band went on a successful mini-tour in 2019 to celebrate 15 years since Who killed… the Zutons?the small matter of a global pandemic delayed the creation and eventual release of their latest effort. The great decider. It hasn't been an easy journey, as lead singer Dave McCabe makes clear. “I got sober while making this record, my dad died and I became a father, all in the space of a year. I had all that to deal with, but everyone else had to deal with me while I was going through it. “That was all recorded and that's obviously one of the reasons it took so long.”
As lockdown approached, saxophonist and vocalist Abi Harding moved in with McCabe and drummer Sean Payne, and bought an inflatable bed while “I didn't want to be alone”. Using a national studio, the trio began to form the framework for their fourth studio album. Sometimes greatness comes from adversity. Is this the case with The great decider?
This nine-track album opens with 'Creeping on The Dancefloor', a hard-hitting rock song to set the tone and emphatically announce their return. An infectious rhythm and an enthusiastic chorus are provided for your delight. “Do you want to stay out all night?/Are we going to hang out until dawn?/If you want to get out of your head/There's chemistry when you combineMcCabe growls. A call for someone to join forces, as they can be better together than apart, mixed with the fear of asking due to feelings of inferiority, is a great opening to the album.
'Pauline' dispenses a nice smear of funk that will hit you in the chops like a wet fish. I have a feeling this one will sound tremendous live. McCabe's voice gets a decent workout here and doesn't disappoint. Backing vocals provided by Harding and Payne lift the track up a notch.
If the previous track sounded funk, 'Water' snaps the funk with a whip and sends it into a wild gallop. Written during lockdown, the song chooses to look at life with hope and promise, despite the pessimism on offer at the time. There's a lovely duet from Harding and McCabe in the chorus and it gives that feeling of optimism and positivity. The fourth track, 'In Your Arms', sounds like classic Zutons mixed with a nutritious serving of Cast for more umami. A decent pop-rock ballad about that feeling of love and security where the challenges of the world seem to fade away just by being in the arms of someone you love.
You can certainly feel Nile Rogers and Ian Broudie's fingerprints all over this album. As a result, the funk and soul aspects sound passionate and immense. The pop facets are polished and forceful. As far as producers go, The Zutons have worked with two class acts in The great deciderand that shows us.
Proudly sitting at the center of the album is their longest offering, 'Disappear'. At just over five minutes, this is a three-part song, each of which takes you in different directions. An interlude of agitation and psychology that fits perfectly into the running order. The track ends with Nile Rogers narrating a spoken word piece written by McCabe. Exuding freshness like a slushie machine in overdrive, Rogers ends by asking the listener the fundamental question: “Because?“
School Day Moment: The Zutons take their name from Captain Beefheart's Magic Band guitarist Zoot Horn Rollo. Oh, did you already know that? Well, don't brag about it. Nobody likes know-it-alls. 'Company' appears next. A powerful and heavy ballad that allows Harding to demonstrate his prowess on the saxophone, bringing emotional sensitivity to the track.
“You know those yesterdays always haunt me/Until we find the way, we'll always end up crying” McCabe sings on the album's title track. With its lush production, the song gently washes over you and then becomes a tide without you realizing it. Broudie was convinced to sign up to produce this album after hearing the demo of 'The Big Decider', which he says made him cry. McCabe stated: “Getting that reaction from Ian (Broudie) made me feel like we were doing something right, that the song spoke for itself.”. It's a big, shiny pop song with a soup of disco and soul slathered on the surface for good measure.
The penultimate song on the album, 'Rise', is a slow, melodic ballad with a gentle, guiding beat from Payne throughout. “We are in the same boat, we walk the same paths/If we don't agree you have to take off your armor/because you're just like me” McCabe sings with a mix of hope and belief in a better future.
The great decider concludes with 'Best Of Me'; an honest and open feel-good song written by McCabe while he was in rehab for his drink and drug addiction. He affirms, “I guess it's about feeling good and healing after long-term damage. Like all the songs on this album, it is meant to be uplifting.”
“I want to walk where you walk/Breathe the air that you breathe/Oh baby, you bring out the best in me” McCabe proclaims, as if he were releasing these feelings from the depths of his soul. As the song progresses, you slowly feel the clouds part and the sun's rays break through. Once again, Harding's backing vocals blend beautifully with McCabe's, creating a lush, buttery sound. It's a good choice for the final track of the album. For reasons I can't rationally explain, I expected Ladysmith Black Mambazo to suddenly appear towards the end of the track for the final performances of the chorus.
So can the combined experiences of love, loss and confinement merge and create something positive and beautiful from their union? It looks like it is. He wasn't sure what to expect from this album, but it certainly delivered. The largely imposed lockdown of new songwriting practices has unlocked an inspired flow of musical magma.
Bringing in Nile Rogers and Ian Broudie was an excellent choice. They have allowed the band to explore their potential and explore new and exciting dimensions to their sound. “We had a genuine sense of a shared vision. In the past, we haven't really said how we feel or taken it badly. But this album was different. We didn't really feel good until everything was the way we wanted it.”, Payne reveals. And that's what stands out The great decider – while unmistakably The Zutons, it has a different vibe and energy that creates a fresh new sonic experience.
It's always a risk for a band to release new material after a long period of absence. Ideally, it should satisfy the existing fan base while attracting a new audience. I feel like The Zutons can achieve that with this album. Now I'm off to the pub to deliver what I consider to be an outstanding karaoke performance of 'Remember Me'. What do you mean I look like a seagull with hemorrhoids?
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