If you've been asking yourself "Where can I find some classic 60s-styled British pop that has a timeless quality to it?", then Tony Cox has the answer. Unpublished is his debut album, and thankfully for us he actually did publish it. There is one twist here: although Cox wrote all the tracks and plays guitar and keyboards, the lead vocalist is Nigel Clark, not Cox. If that name sounds familiar, Clark is the onetime frontman of Dodgy, and released a quality solo disc in 2006 titled 21st Century Man.
"Sweet Elaine" and "Feel Real Love" open the disc in grand fashion, incorporating Northern Soul (dig those horns) and a Motown bassline, together with sunshine melodies. If you dug last year's Rinaldi Sings disc, stop reading this review and immediately go to the link below and order this one. "Jamelia" adds an insistent guitar hook to the mix while "Fallen" lays on the jangle. The midtempo "Chills" recalls Merseysiders like Peter & Gordon and Herman's Hermits, while "Say the Word" continues the 60s tour with some Beach Boys influence. The only question I have is how did "Life is Hardcore" end up on this disc? With its heavy synths it's about 20 years figuratively removed from the rest of the album. That minor quibble aside, Tony Cox has the Carnaby Street Album of 2009 on his hands. He may be retro, but he has the tunes.
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This is a great album and Tony's tireless promotion is the reason he has gotten anywhere with this album considering the glut of music on any given day. he sent me the album and I raved about it.Ravings of a lunatic maybe, but some great tracks, "Life is Hardcore" sounds like Pet Shop Boys, but I could think of a worst spent couple of minutes.
ReplyDeleteGreat great album. He has sent me one copy and will post a review in the next few days. But, Steve, the album of Nigel Clark wasn't called "21st century man"? Maybe you're listening too much the new Green Day these days! Joking, of course...
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You're right Emmanuel. I do have the Green Day album in rotation on the iPod so I had that phrase in my head. Corrected now.
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