Let It Be - Simon Murphy
Link to Simon's site - http://simonmurphymusic.co.uk/bio
Link to Amazon - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Let-Be-Simon-Murphy/dp/B010B5NDC0/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1437043639&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=Simon+Murphy
It’s as if someone
fired a starting pistol because with ‘Once Upon A Time’ Simon Murphy is off and
running with a cracking opening track on this terrific album. It sounds like pretty much the perfect
pop song to me, great pace, catchy lyrics and impossible not to like. ‘Meet Me On The Other Side” carries on
the foot-tapping vibe and he’s got us in the palm of his hand. I can recall a lot of CDs where I have
gotten to the second track and just abandoned the rest of it because nothing
has grabbed me. Simon has decided
to hook us from the beginning.
Smart thinking.
We ease into ‘Not In
My Name”, a beautifully arranged mournful song about being an independent voice
in a complicated world, at least that’s what I’m hearing. I love the guitar
work. In fact, the guitar work is
outstanding throughout this album.
After a couple of
minutes of thoughtful meditation, we’re back to the beat with ‘Lone Star Heart”
reflecting on lost love and scrapbook memories. ‘Here Goes Nothing” carries on the mood of self-appraisal -
who we are, why we’re here, what’s it all about, where do we go from here, a
kind of crisis of confidence song that steers clear of maudlin commentary
enough for us to listen with a sympathetic ear. It struck me that upbeat, downbeat, slow song, fast song,
Simon has a great voice that can be tailored to any mood or message that he
cares to tackle.
And we come to special
guest star, Kaz Hawkins, on ‘I Have A Voice”. My jaw dropped at how sensational this track is. Two magnificent voices belting out (I
mean that kindly) a song that gets into your head so much that you want to keep
it on a loop, it’s that good. It
is soul, it is gospel, it is an anthem to get you on your feet and clapping
along to the joy of it all.
Yeah!!! (Note to self: I must listen to more Kaz).
After such a power
track, ‘My Baby” brings us back to simplicity, a gentle tune, a sweet love song
to someone special. But enough of
that………
……… ‘I Smell A
Rat’. This comes across as a
get-it-off-your-chest song of impatience and irritation with the fakery and
ignorance all around us. There is more than a hint of bitterness and it has a
kind of ‘trust no one’ about it.
An underlying note tells us we can and should see through the
charlatans. I make it sound heavy
but it works and is catchy as hell.
The album ends with
‘Evergreen’ and I’m hearing Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris, as fine a
compliment as I can muster.
I love this
album. It is well-produced,
beautifully arranged and performed and a perfect showcase for a quite brilliant
singer/songwriter who has a knack for writing seemingly simple songs with great
hooks and choruses. There are
several tracks here that should be in the upper echelons of radio playlists.
‘Let It Be’ sounds
like the end of something but this is only the beginning and Simon Murphy
should be on his way to a very successful career in words and music.
Sample it on Amazon, savour it and, er, buy it!
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