Stand Beside Me In The Sun [CD]

Mark Nevin is an accomplished songwriter, beginning his career back in 1989 as writer and guitarist with BRIT Award winning band Fairground Attraction, collaborating with Kirsty MacColl, scribbling tunes with Carole King and Ringo Starr, and writing extensively with Morrissey on his Kill Uncle and Your Arsenal albums.

His first album for almost a decade and third solo album, if you're familiar with Nevin's previous stuff, you'll know the drill with this; driving melodies and self-deprecating lyricism in a distinctively British narrative style combined to create a robust yet humble snapshot of real life.

Yes, more of the same but this one is different. Stand Beside Me In The Sun is the boy from Ebbw Vale's most personal work to date; an album full of personal moments, from reminiscing about seeing his future wife Louise on her Suzuki Savage to sitting in a pub watching football with Muswell Hillbilly Ray Davies.

Highlights for me include the Lennonesque Oh Mama and the stirring lyrics of Ghost of Summer Past, which attains a multitude of contradictions; cheerful rocksteady simplicity with nostalgic solemnity that is as ecstatic as sober can get.

"It's not far from the cradle to the cemetary" sums up Blood, a poignant melody inspired by Nevin's son Wes, an accomplished frontman with London indie rock trio Let's Wrestle.

Justifying his absence from the scene for 9 years, Nevin says: "I've been right out of the loop doing other things, and every now and again a song would pop out of its own accord. This is a collection of those. I did music because I loved music, and I continue to do it for that reason."

A brilliant song writer? Well, maybe but not on the evidence of this collection. The truth is that this is a pleasant enough set of relentlessly positive ditties, competently written but which are essentially wish-washy tunes unlikely to ever trouble the charts. Don't come to it expecting to find something as catchy as Nevin's best known song: "Perfect' (that 80's hit by Fairground Attraction).

As a singer, he's a brilliant song writer. A weedy, inflexible voice which he gets away with by resorting to a semi-spoken delivery and good production. And the production values (it's a self-produced album) are very good --strong, tasteful arrangements performed by well-recorded pros. Stylistically it's what you would expect too --MOR-ish pop/rock for grown-ups.

Lyrically the picture is of a comfortably-off, very pleasant English-ness and a refreshingly sunny, unpretentious outlook. On the strength of them, Nevin evidently lives a happy middle-class existence up in Highgate. In an amusing song called "I know where Ray Davies lives" he tells a tale of living in the same neighbourhood of his songwriting hero which nicely paints a little vignette of the lifestyle associated with the place. Appropriately enough for an ode to Ray Davies.

Structurally the songs are sound. The problem really is that the tunes are pretty unmemorable. But to be fair, being solidly composed, they are probably growers. It's the sort of record that makes for comfortable back-ground noise while you're getting on with other stuff. But if you come to it, as I did, hoping to enjoy the pleasures of quality crafted songwriting, you may well feel short-changed. Particularly at a mere 36 minutes-worth of music.

My impression is that this is a competent, reasonably talented songwriter penned-in by his comfort zone. This album sounds like an OK but complacent piece of work phoned-in. If I was his record company I'd tell him to pull his finger out. But I note that it's released on the MN label --so he's the record company I guess. Oh dear.

Mark Nevin is a great songwriter and this CD contains ten wonderful examples of his writing. Checking in at a shade under 36 minutes, every song is a gem. The title is perfect; each track oozes with sunshine and optimism. Great lyrics, colourful melodies, beautifully played songs. It gets to the end and you have to start all over again. Summer sunshine!