Jimmy Lee & The Edge Of Chaos Orchestra
Album: The Runaway
Label: Self Released
Tracks: 11
Website: http://www.edgeofchaosorchestra.co.uk/

"The Runaway" is one of those albums that no one seems to make anymore, well no one except Jimmy Lee & The Edge Of Chaos Orchestra, but it's not an album that could be considered anachronistic, in fact the more you play it, the more you wonder why there's not more people writing and performing in this style.

Jimmy Lee & The Edge Of Chaos Orchestra are based on the South Coast, but the music is far more influenced by both the Irish and to a degree Scouse ballad traditions, the sort of songs that you can imagine being sung with company, both in and out of a pub scenario. He brings his love of what is now called Americana to the mix, though more from a country and blues vein.

This is a hugely biographical album and Jimmy Lee has lead the sort of life that creates interesting songs when it's exposed to the wider world. He was initially brought up in a working class farming community, taken into care, ran away to see, back in the day when the navy would recruit from almost anywhere and training schools like HMS Gangees had a fearsome for brutality and bullying, if you had an attitude they would knock it out of you.

Having been in the navy, deserted, discharged and spent time in the merchant marine, hit the road in America, relocated to Ireland and searched out a brother, that his impoverished mother put on a train with a note around his neck pleading that whoever found him look after him and never saw him again.

This is a life that is ripe for its own songbook and in "The Runaway" Jimmy Lee delivers it. This is a dark, no hold barred album, it is at times brutal in its description, it includes "Hard Man" a song that sent shivers down my spine when I heard it performed live and the album version produces a similar effect. When someone uses the line "Daddy was a hard man" you know it's not going to be an easy song. What is more unexpected are the redeeming features in a very complex figure.

It's not all hard edges, there are songs like, "The Chalk Stream" that provide a metaphorical interlude and a little relief, but which are as fascinating in their own right.

"The Runaway" is an exceptional album, part concept, part balladry, it's got songs you can really get behind and believe in. You don't get many albums like this these days and I think that's a shame.

Neil King