I seem to remember that a while ago, the comment was made to the effect of “Difficult second albums are for wimps and pussies”! Brave words indeed, as a lot of bands have fallen on their second album, sometimes because expectations were too high. The Clash suffered some critical mauling for ‘Give ‘Em Enough Rope’, and the less said about The Stone Roses ‘Second Coming’ the better.
Following just some two years on from ‘Bourbon Soaked Gypsy Blues Bop ‘N’ Stroll’, does ‘In Black ‘N’ Red’ live up to expectations? You bet! Boasting a set of tunes that are catchier than the crabs in a hooker’s keks, ‘In Black ‘N’ Red’ contains surprises galore. The sound and style is still eclectic, and the album featurs an array of guest musicians, such as Sami Yaffa from The New York Dolls, Son of Dave, Sarah Kaldor, Jim Jones and Dr. Will. There are twelve musically diverse tracks on the album, and not a duff one amongst them.
Opening with ‘Go East’, a thunderous double drum assault from J. and Jary, this song, described by lead vocalist Paul-Ronney Angel as a “Fast punk rock skiffle Gypsy bop song”, goes straight for the jugular and doesn’t give up: “Go East young man, there aint no room for you out West/ Go East young man, You’ll never pass that test.” Exhorts P-R, detailing the problems facing the young man in the song:- “That pretty little bird never flies your way/ that heavy, heavy burden is always there to stay.” For me, one of the delights of The Urban Voodoo machine is the clever lyrics, often witty and always telling a story capable of engaging the listener’s attention.
‘Cheers For The Tears’ has a killer blues riff and some great trumpet, courtesy of Dr. Lloyd Gomez-De-Ville, and recounts a true story when P-R was believed to have fallen in the canal at Camden whilst drunk and drowned. Thankfully it was a case of mistaken identity. “Got a phone call this morning, about half past nine/ At the end of the line a lady friend was cryin’
Said what’s the matter honey? She said I heard you was dead.”
‘S.O.S (Sink or Swim)’ is a fast paced track with Eastern European influences detailing the story of a press ganging. After the hapless character of the song has been plied with drink and belted over the head, they awake to find themselves far from dry land: - “When you come to, you’re out at sea. You’re in the crew all/ thanks to me”.
Track four, ‘Rather You Shot Me Down’ is a stroke of sheer brilliance, a slightly mournful love song that will strike a chord with anyone who really cares. Featuring some classy Western style whistling from Nick Marsh, this is the sort of song that showcases why this band are so important today.
‘High Jeopardy Thing’ is a lovely jazzy song which lopes along, underpinned by the upright bass riff. This is basically a song all about taking chances: “Life’s a high jeopardy thing, if you don’t gamble you won’t win.” a set of sentiments that are so true, basically if you sit on the fence, you only get splinters in your arse!
‘Run For Your Money’ is a great track detailing the bands run in with someone from the music industry who basically said that the band would never work again. Well, here they are with their second album, where’s the exec? This track has a compelling riff, at one point I picked up a few chords that sounded similar to The Undertones ‘Jimmy Jimmy’, although there are also some ska based melodies in there.
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‘Lightning From A Blues Sky’ is a sublime jazzy number all about a relationship split. It is the ultimate track to listen to in a smoke filled bar in the wrong end of town at about four in the morning, when you’re nursing your tenth bourbon and a broken heart:“Up all night, drinking and wonderin’ where the hell did it all go wrong?/ Oh lover am I just a brother to you?” I first heard this song when the band played The Wild Hare Club in Hereford in December 2009, and it has always struck me as one of the finest pieces of work from the band.
‘Off To Rehab’ is an almost ragtime based piano melody which is dedicated to the art of overdoing it and the results when the come down and hangover strike, featuring some classic witty observation: - “You know I’m sick, sad and sorry with the shits, shakes and shivers/ Everything’s busted including my liver.” I don’t think that I’ll ever look at my hangover in the same light again.
‘Alone In The City’ is another smooth, smoky jazz number which originally appeared on the now long deleted ‘Ladies And Gentlemen’ E.P. here it is expanded slightly and takes on a new life with lush orchestration. The lyrics are excellent in their observation of a London deserted after all the clubbers have gone home: “No thieves in the alleyway, no homeless looking for a place to stay/ No junkies out to rob me or even trying to score.”
‘Good For You’ is two minutes and four seconds of dirty rock ‘n’ roll, a pure rush, opening with a rousing call of “B, b, b, baby. Is it good for you, like it’s good for me?” Well, on the strength of this album, it certainly is. One thing that I’ve always liked about The Urban Voodoo Machine is their complete confidence in all their material, nothing ever sounds forced, stilted or out of place.
‘Heroin (Put My Brothers In The Ground)’ is a wonderful blues stomp which details the misery that the drug caused to the family in the song. It is a perfect antidote to The Velvet Underground’s pro-heroin stance on their first album:“Heroin put my sisters on the streets; heroin put my sisters on the streets,
Now they’re walking round turning tricks in this old dirty town.”
The album closes with the band’s last single release, ‘Goodbye To Another Year’, a track that I’ve reviewed elsewhere for Whisperin’ and Hollerin’, and which allows the album to go out on a high.
This album was a real delight for me, as far from just rehashing the type of material that has gone before, the band has taken some big and bold strides forward. Hopefully ‘In Black ‘N’ Red’ will now put them firmly is the spotlight where they truly belong.
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