Reviews
Ceri James Album: Red Mist
Label: Self Released
Tracks: 10
Website: http://www.cerijames.com
Back in the 70s and 80s, Ceri James' fellow Welshman Dave Edmunds had a whole bunch of hits via a re-imagining of the rock'n'roll/pop streams of the 1950s.
James himself seems to be trying to do something similar but extending the musical influences into the 60s and early 70s - which adds a little more country and rhythm'n'blues to the recipe but without compromising the central simplicity of his musical vision (so no psychedelic explosions here).
He has what sounds like a good, solid pub band behind him: chunky rhythm guitar, keyboard, harmonica, drums, and a lead guitar that eschews any excess of gain or effects pedals. This deliberately antiquarian approach may in fact be what contributes to the lack of major success he complains about in My Dream's on Hold - which, strangely enough, is my favourite track on the album.
"My dream's on hold
'Cause I didn't strike gold
Now I'm feelin' bought an' sold
An' my dream's on hold"
Indeed, all his songs, lyrically, seem to be very personal - either in terms of his own history, e.g. I Can't Make It Work for Two, or his views of society in general, possibly best expressed in the Byrds-like The Last Innocent Generation.
James' strengths lie largely in his lyrics, which manage to sound like a cross between Pete Townsend's anger and Steve Earle's tired but hopeful take on events. While he doesn't go down the poetic rabbit-holes so common in the 60s, he very successfully avoids cliché while still managing to write very catchy hooklines and choruses.
The sticking point for me, however, is on the musical side.
Dave Edmunds managed to re-imagine the 50s as music for the 70s. He did so through modern production methods, driving the tempos a bit harder, and a more ambitious approach to playing technique than the predecessors he evoked.
Ceri James, by contrast, seems caught in nostalgia for a period he obviously admires but which, I'm afraid, he fails to update. That's probably the reason he "didn't strike gold" in my opinion. The playing is competent, but lacks originality and drive. The production quality (in present-day terms) is that of a very good demo.
I bet he's great live - I can hear these songs as stripped-down acoustic gems. Even now, I think Ceri James is capable of striking that gold, but to do so he'll need a really good modern producer, more originality and drive in his backing, and maybe, just maybe, an effects pedal or two.
Bob Leslie
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