Highlights: There Is A Valley, The Healing Day, Be At Peace WithYourself, The Coast No Man Can Tell
Sometimes reviews must
start with the inevitable: Life Is People
is Bill Fay’s first proper album since Time
Of The Last Persecution (which was only Fay’s second) from 1971. 41 years
then – not something a singer-songwriter should look back on with pride and
contentment. However, let’s drop the question of what was keeping him out of
studio for this long and concentrate on the music instead. Which is nothing
short of quiet, subtle, understated triumph.
While listening to Life Is People you do get a good feeling
why Jeff Tweedy is such a fan. You might draw parallels with Wilco’s quieter
moments, but I guess it’s mostly about that heartfelt, fragile vocal delivery.
Even after the first
listen to these stately, mostly piano-based songs you will hear just what a
masterful songwriter Bill Fay is. Not much will jump at you straight away, but
the sheer depth of these stately, timeless melodies is simply irrefutable. It’s
mostly ballads (in fact, “This World” might be the only upbeat number on the
whole record), and aside from a couple of somewhat bland moments, it’s all slow-burning
(further listens do pay off), strings-drenched (though occasional guitar lines
are also noteworthy) gorgeousness. The solemn, uplifting anthem “Be At Peace
With Yourself” is the standout, but you can’t go wrong with the naked, spiritual
beauty of “Thank You Lord” or his clever, mature reading of Tweedy’s “Jesus,
etc.”
Life Is People is a mellow classic; certainly an album from someone
who has had a lot to keep to himself over these 40 years.
8/10
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