Highlights: Gonna Change, Love Will Kill You, What Are You
Laughing About?, Gringo Go Home, Gap Toothed Girl
Since we’re past the
stage when it’s too early to say: The
Deliverance Of Marlowe Billings is certainly an album of the year. Nothing can change that. It’s a piece of
rough, slow-burning beauty that only gets better with future listens. To me this
sounds like a complete artistic triumph.
At this point in time
Dan Stuart is primarily about pretty, emotionally-charged ballads which he
sings in a voice reminiscent of both Tom Petty and Jason Pierce – but with a
touch of good old gruffness. Lyrically, he is both desperately mature (the
achingly gorgeous “Love Will Kill You”) and playful (“Gap Toothed Girl”, the
album’s pop hit that never was and never will be) and melodically, well,
melodically he is at his absolute best.
And I admire the
diversity. Amid the poignant balladry Stuart has time for an anthemic rocker (“What
Are You Laughing About?”), for catchy, bouncy pop (“Love So Rare”), for a sinister,
C&W drama (“Gringo Go Home”). Mostly, though, it’s the sort of disarming,
heartbreaking stuff that could have well ended up on Spiritualized’s latest.
And considering the quality of Pierce’s latest – it’s hardly a bad thing.
Interestingly, I don’t
really know much about Dan Stuart. While I thoroughly enjoyed The Lost Weekend LP by Danny & Dusty
(collaboration with Steve Wynn), I don’t know his first solo record (The Deliverance is Stuart’s second), Can O’ Worms, and I’ve heard exactly one
album by Green On Red (Gas Food Lodging).
But this was a revelation. Just great songs covered in real-life drama. A high
8.
8/10
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