Knowing The Cherry Bluestorms as a great live band, with
first and foremost lots of Grade A psychedelic guitar at the foundation of the
band, it comes as a surprising ear-opener to hear this sophomore album
kicking off with a Kraftwerk like intro on the “Bad Penny Overture”. It’s not
long before the inventive guitar licks of Glen Laughlin find their way in
though.
The acoustic “By Your Leave” sounds like it could be a long
lost Nick Drake song, with Deborah’s plaintive vocal sounding as if she’s
actually living the song. The album does have a concept flow about it, and this
is the character of Penny leaving home in the north of England to head for
pastures new, and the bright lights of the big city down south.
The one cover on the album is a beautifully arranged version
of Donovan’s classic “Wear Your Love Like Heaven” from “A Gift From A Flower To
A Garden”. This song serves to let us know not just when we are, but where we are as well.
“Sunday Driving South” is filled with a gorgeous string arrangement
and a mellotron sound stolen from “Strawberry Fields Forever”. With name-checks
to Arnold Layne, Purple Haze and Mr Toad, this is definitely an album
high-light.
Glen and Deborah’s vocals work perfectly well together, and
this is especially high-lighted on “The Country Man”.
Nearing the end of the album, the dreams, hopes and wishes
of Penny seem to have vanished by the time we get to “Start Again”. The lyrics
are matched wonderfully by Glen’s brooding guitar riff. Oh, and talking of
lyrics, some of Glen’s finest are on the album’s closing number “Bad”. They
portray the darkest images you could imagine.
There doesn’t seem to be much in the way of redemption for
Penny in this tale of lost hopes and dreams, but as in a lot of great
song-writing, you can take out of it whatever you want. What you DO get is the
feeling of the heart and soul of the 60’s planted firmly in the 21st
century.
This album is without doubt a giant leap forward in putting
this band in the major league. It deserves to be recognised as a classic
already.
