Frontman with unsung Mancunian power popsters Any Trouble. Long-time Richard Thompson collaborator. Critically acclaimed body of work with fellow singer/ songwriter Christine Collister. Lengthy list of fine solo albums. While it’s undeniable that CLIVE GREGSON has been prolific and worn a number of hats along the way, he’s pieced together an enviable and reliably consistent back catalogue over the past three decades whatever guise his music has been presented in.
While Clive might resent me referring to him as “reliable”, I mean it as a compliment. He’s one of those people who have never had a sniff of being fashionable yet he’s continually knocked out brilliant records regardless. I’m not even going to bother counting how many decent solo albums he’s made now, but I can say with confidence that his new album ‘Bittersweet’ is yet another masterly 14-song collection.
As usual, the song’s the thing with Gregson. With long-term acolytes Mark Griffiths (bass) and former Any Trouble drummer Martin Hughes rounding out the record’s tight and tasty combo sound, ‘Bittersweet’ is basically a Pop album with gentle Folk-Pop leanings, a few plaintive ballads and the occasional steady groove thrown in for good measure. Gregson’s guitar playing (both electric and acoustic) is as fluid as ever, while tasteful flecks of organ, piano and accordion fill in the corners and vocalists Denice Franke and Waking the Witch’s Patsy Matheson are on hand to add occasional vocal textures.
The opening title track gives you a good idea of what to expect. Proffering a very live, semi-acoustic feel with Gregson’s voice close-miked and clear, it has a gentle, nostalgic pull and its’ world-weary lyrics (“I wish I could reach you now/ I try to pull you back somehow”) fit the bill to a T.
From there on in, you know you’re in safe hands as always. ‘Bittersweet’ provides us with a classy melange of punchy pop songs (‘Sunny Left Town’, the nippy two-step ‘Till You Get Home’), heartfelt vignettes to love lost (‘Julianne’) and the occasional surprise like the blues-y ‘One for the Trees’ with its’ low-riding groove and jazzy piano.
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This being a Clive Gregson album, you’d also expect some heartfelt balladry and indeed there’s also room for naturally melancholic beauties like ‘Back Where I Belong’ and the tender ‘That’s the Thing about Love’. As is often the case with Gregson-related matters, it’s becomes more a case of choosing your favourites than offering criticism after a while. To this end, I’d go for ‘A Little More Love’ as the pick of the crop. Its’ message is that we ought to be kinder to ourselves (“all I know is I light up/ every time someone shows they care”), the groove is sturdy and supple and the chorus is one of those dreamy affairs that used to scream “hit single!” back in the days when the charts still meant something. Lovely, in a word.
Following on from a well-received ‘Best of’ in 2009 and the overdue re-issue of the Any Trouble catalogue, ‘Bittersweet’ is the sound of Clive Gregson keeping up the momentum and doing exactly what he does best. He may be reliable, he may be predictable, but he’s also bloody fantastic. In turbulent times like these, you’d be surprised how much such things still matter.
Clive Gregson online
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