CASH CRISIS
BACK IN THE BLACK
'Back In The Black' is the 4th album from the boys. Just another CC album? We don't think so!
This collection of songs marked a clear departure from the established Cash Crisis sound, featuring styles ranging from rock and techno through modern jazz to 12-bar blues, country and folk. Yet the whole retains a coherence, anchored in the Newman lyrical reflections on life, the universe and everything.
This variety in musical forms was a key objective when we set out on the project in 2006 after the issue of the previous album 'Got More Bills'. Whilst we are all at ease with our well-established mellow folk-rock sound, we wanted to try and explore new sounds and styles and exploit new techniques. Maybe a little like an experienced oil painter trying watercolours, engravings and pastels all in one collection - or is that pretentious? Anyway, you get the 'picture'.
As before, we were enormously grateful to all the 'associate members' of Cash Crisis, especially Andy Stinson, whose keyboard and flute performances, not to mention his IT skills and musical advice, played a major part in the final product. Brian Murphy (percussion) and John Sloan (bass) provided a rock solid, nay table-thumping underpinning for most of the up-tempo numbers, while Sophia Nelson's backing vocals gave a new dimension to some of the vocal extravaganzas. Both Emily Roberts and Gilly Blair gave us some great sax backing.
The Songs
There are still some classic CC sounds such as 'Stumble' and 'Breaking News', both pieces with tender lyrics enveloped in acoustic guitar sounds, gentle melodies and harmonies. The same tone is also represented by 'Time for moving on', albeit in a country guise. The contrast with 'Top Girls' and 'Are You Satisfied' is quite stark, with their gritty messages and insistent rhythms. The latter represented an especially enjoyable musical challenge, as it draws on a form which didn't appear until we were all in our forties, and thus constitutes a trans-generational anachronism, a bit like your Grandmother enjoying 'Purple Haze' or your 8 year old grooving to 'The Enigma Variations'.
A midweek summer concert in 'Bryant Park' in New York provided the inspiration for Nigel's eponymous lyric, in which Jon and Ron's guitars give the voyeur a wistful melody and modern jazz chord progression to create an atmospheric piece. 'Night Windows' further develops the jazz theme in another evocative number redolent of long summer evenings.
As Nigel suffers considerable stick for his often lugubrious themes, he surprised us all with 'After The Rain', which is not only un-lugubrious; it's downright chirpy! Whatever next? He'll be writing soap powder jingles ...
Still, he couldn't resist a grumpy-old-man song, and came up with 'Dirty White Vans', which is a 12-bar-blues chunter against inconsiderate road use. He didn't end there, though; he had another whinge with 'Tappin', which berates the younger generation for being ... well, young.
'Boy Meets Girl' lightens the mix with a lounge lizard sound and a romantic little story set in a familiar media context, while 'Delaney' is a relic from the 70s, originally conceived by Nigel as a sort of sinister dirge, but driven into rock territory by a very long evolutionary process which seemed to involve the much repeated question "Wouldn't it be better if it was a bit faster?" from Jon. Listen out for the Starlight team contributions - Mike Watson's guest appearance on lead guitar and the keyboard brass from Andy Miles ... awesome (even stellar!).
The set wouldn't be complete without a short instrumental from the band's resident fingerpicker, Mr Fisher; his 'Daybreak' is a cheerful opener for the album.
'Our Land', portrays a view on the urban battle for morality. Finally the tone shifts to the Newman-arranged CSNY-inspired 'Red Buttons', conceived by Ron at the end of a long night's rehearsal.
This collection of songs marked a clear departure from the established Cash Crisis sound, featuring styles ranging from rock and techno through modern jazz to 12-bar blues, country and folk. Yet the whole retains a coherence, anchored in the Newman lyrical reflections on life, the universe and everything.
This variety in musical forms was a key objective when we set out on the project in 2006 after the issue of the previous album 'Got More Bills'. Whilst we are all at ease with our well-established mellow folk-rock sound, we wanted to try and explore new sounds and styles and exploit new techniques. Maybe a little like an experienced oil painter trying watercolours, engravings and pastels all in one collection - or is that pretentious? Anyway, you get the 'picture'.
As before, we were enormously grateful to all the 'associate members' of Cash Crisis, especially Andy Stinson, whose keyboard and flute performances, not to mention his IT skills and musical advice, played a major part in the final product. Brian Murphy (percussion) and John Sloan (bass) provided a rock solid, nay table-thumping underpinning for most of the up-tempo numbers, while Sophia Nelson's backing vocals gave a new dimension to some of the vocal extravaganzas. Both Emily Roberts and Gilly Blair gave us some great sax backing.
The Songs
There are still some classic CC sounds such as 'Stumble' and 'Breaking News', both pieces with tender lyrics enveloped in acoustic guitar sounds, gentle melodies and harmonies. The same tone is also represented by 'Time for moving on', albeit in a country guise. The contrast with 'Top Girls' and 'Are You Satisfied' is quite stark, with their gritty messages and insistent rhythms. The latter represented an especially enjoyable musical challenge, as it draws on a form which didn't appear until we were all in our forties, and thus constitutes a trans-generational anachronism, a bit like your Grandmother enjoying 'Purple Haze' or your 8 year old grooving to 'The Enigma Variations'.
A midweek summer concert in 'Bryant Park' in New York provided the inspiration for Nigel's eponymous lyric, in which Jon and Ron's guitars give the voyeur a wistful melody and modern jazz chord progression to create an atmospheric piece. 'Night Windows' further develops the jazz theme in another evocative number redolent of long summer evenings.
As Nigel suffers considerable stick for his often lugubrious themes, he surprised us all with 'After The Rain', which is not only un-lugubrious; it's downright chirpy! Whatever next? He'll be writing soap powder jingles ...
Still, he couldn't resist a grumpy-old-man song, and came up with 'Dirty White Vans', which is a 12-bar-blues chunter against inconsiderate road use. He didn't end there, though; he had another whinge with 'Tappin', which berates the younger generation for being ... well, young.
'Boy Meets Girl' lightens the mix with a lounge lizard sound and a romantic little story set in a familiar media context, while 'Delaney' is a relic from the 70s, originally conceived by Nigel as a sort of sinister dirge, but driven into rock territory by a very long evolutionary process which seemed to involve the much repeated question "Wouldn't it be better if it was a bit faster?" from Jon. Listen out for the Starlight team contributions - Mike Watson's guest appearance on lead guitar and the keyboard brass from Andy Miles ... awesome (even stellar!).
The set wouldn't be complete without a short instrumental from the band's resident fingerpicker, Mr Fisher; his 'Daybreak' is a cheerful opener for the album.
'Our Land', portrays a view on the urban battle for morality. Finally the tone shifts to the Newman-arranged CSNY-inspired 'Red Buttons', conceived by Ron at the end of a long night's rehearsal.