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Product Description
Review
Former Del Amitri frontman Currie is one of those artists beloved by ardent fans yet baffling to non-believers. Devotees will bask in every couplet of his narrative, textbook-shaped songs on this second solo album. Others may find it all predictable and one-paced, and seemingly labouring under the credo that sonic adventure died about 30 years ago.
The man himself thinks 2007's What Love Is For was the dreary introspective one, and that this is a brighter, upbeat offering. Yet putting a straightforward backbeat behind bog-standard verse-chorus-middle-eight structures doesn't necessarily make them any more sparkly or arresting. After 10 minutes of this album, the layman knows nothing surprising or novel whatsoever is going to happen. It's the kind of stuff you picture Jools Holland guesting on, even if he isn't.
If he's sonically conservative then, maybe he's conservative like somebody like Elvis Costello, often using mild country-rock to veil dark seething undercurrents? That would be a kind reading. The music throughout is flat and dated. If Currie has strengths, they lie in his lyrics, and this clearly is the area which fires up his supporters. He writes of romance realised and thwarted, of melancholy wallowed in or shaken off, with intelligence and sincerity.
Most songs have clever twists, with punch-lines or "reveals" (his words). Usually you can see them coming. The curveball here is Everyone I Love, which catalogues a list of impure intentions, its narrator a bad-ass mofo, who declares "tonight I'm gonna hurt everyone I love / just to see if they love me". He gives "his bitter side a little exercise". It's by far the album's most engaging track, because it's unexpected and cathartic. "I'm taking everybody down," he grizzles, as guitars get dirty and squawky and the rhythms venture into Bad Seeds territory. There's no leavening twist either. "I wanna wreck what everyone expects of me," he sings. You just wish he'd done that earlier, and with more imagination.
Currie's old-school craftsmanship is rigorously solid, and his lyrics considered and honed, but there's something moribund about his music which needs a firework up its butt. --Chris Roberts
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CD Description
Justin Currie was still in his teens when he co-founded Del Amitri in his hometown of Glasgow. From 1982 to 2002, the band evolved from resourceful D.I.Y. indie combo to international hitmakers, releasing six much-loved studio albums before amicably parting ways. In 2007, Currie released his solo debut, What Is Love For? on Rykodisc, which was acclaimed for its superb songcraft and somber brilliance. On The Great War, Currie returns with a fresh collection of infectious melodies and ingenious wordplay--a combination of dark lyrical themes melded with a newfound optimism. The first single, "A Man With Nothing To Do," captures Currie’s signature songwriting technique, evoking a sense of vivacity with harmonious hooks and upbeat tempos while simultaneously unveiling multiple meanings through playful, provocative lyrics.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Justin Currie has come up trumps yet again with his latest solo offering. His follow up to What Is Love For? is full of the usual heartbreaking and uplifting tunes that have lit up my life over the past 20 years or so. With this release, he sounds more like Del Amitri, which seems like a weird thing to say but compare it to his first solo album and you'll see what I mean.
What Is Love For? was melancholy, thoughtful and predominantly acoustic, a quiet unassuming album. 'The Great War' has more of a 'band' sound to it and could easily pass as a new Del Amitri record. This time round Justin has surrounded himself with players such as Mick Slaven (Guitar) Peter Adams (Piano), Nick Clark (Bass) and Jim McDermott (Drums) as well as a wealth of talented support musicians. Iain Harvie being absent on a recording for the first time ever.
There is no doubt in my mind that Justin Currie pocesses a gift for songwriting. His clever, catchy and thought provoking songs capture his mood about love, life and possibly the universe! I've often refurred to him over the years as the spokesman for dissapointment, but he has definately been promoted to the cabinet as minister of heartache! The fact that he finds happiness 'Anywhere Where I'm Away From You' speaks for itself.
'A Man With Nothing To Do' could possibly be a national anthem, if promoted by national radio stations, as it sums up the feeling of a nation, well half of it!
'At Home Inside Of Me' is currently my favourite song with it's extremely catchy melody and chorus.
'You'll Always Walk Alone' is a sad obsevation of married life I think we can all relate to. You can spend a lifetime together, but that final walk into the light is rather disturbingly alone.
Justin Currie has written some great songs over the years from 'Move Away Jimmy Blue' (1989), 'Surface Of The Moon' (1992), 'Never Enough' (1995), 'Mother Nature's Writing' (1997), 'Cash & Prizes' (2002), 'If I Ever Loved You' (2007) to 'Can't Let Go Of Her Now' (2010). There will inevitably be more, I hope so. Buy this now.
What Is Love For? was melancholy, thoughtful and predominantly acoustic, a quiet unassuming album. 'The Great War' has more of a 'band' sound to it and could easily pass as a new Del Amitri record. This time round Justin has surrounded himself with players such as Mick Slaven (Guitar) Peter Adams (Piano), Nick Clark (Bass) and Jim McDermott (Drums) as well as a wealth of talented support musicians. Iain Harvie being absent on a recording for the first time ever.
There is no doubt in my mind that Justin Currie pocesses a gift for songwriting. His clever, catchy and thought provoking songs capture his mood about love, life and possibly the universe! I've often refurred to him over the years as the spokesman for dissapointment, but he has definately been promoted to the cabinet as minister of heartache! The fact that he finds happiness 'Anywhere Where I'm Away From You' speaks for itself.
'A Man With Nothing To Do' could possibly be a national anthem, if promoted by national radio stations, as it sums up the feeling of a nation, well half of it!
'At Home Inside Of Me' is currently my favourite song with it's extremely catchy melody and chorus.
'You'll Always Walk Alone' is a sad obsevation of married life I think we can all relate to. You can spend a lifetime together, but that final walk into the light is rather disturbingly alone.
Justin Currie has written some great songs over the years from 'Move Away Jimmy Blue' (1989), 'Surface Of The Moon' (1992), 'Never Enough' (1995), 'Mother Nature's Writing' (1997), 'Cash & Prizes' (2002), 'If I Ever Loved You' (2007) to 'Can't Let Go Of Her Now' (2010). There will inevitably be more, I hope so. Buy this now.
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:MP3 Download
Justin Currie is perhaps Britain's most under-rated songwriter, someone who can knock off an instantly memorable ditty at will (I'm sure it's much harder than that really) and just can't seem to break into the big time. Given sufficient airplay and exposure this album should achieve this but given the iniquities of the music business I wouldn't bet on it. Which is a great shame. Of course being the "voice" of Del Amitri he should be instantly recognisable to anyone who had any interest in decent music in the nineties and his singing, is top notch as usual. He manages to combine his usual jangly guitar style balladry with jazzy interludes like "Anywhere I'm away from you" and a Beatlesque "You'll always walk alone" which given the title would appear to be a deliberate ploy. This is a fine album. Never has someone's broken heart sounded so good.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
By my reckoning (discounting the B-sides album) the 9th long player of the musical career of Justin Currie, and he still has the knack of delivering quality songs which get you humming after a couple of listens, and then become permanent reminders of loves lost and found and mulled over after more plays.
As with another reviewer pointed out, this is closer to his writing for Del Amitri, with more 'up-tempo' songs than his 1st solo offering 'What Is Love For'. Some of the songs are already familiar listening, songs previewed on his myspace site and on the UK tour of 2007.
As ever, the key thing is the lyrical craft, and there is no disappointment in the wordplay here. Musically it plays safer than 'What Is Love For' but still has great solos from Mick Slaven, and the drumming of Jim McDermott. The humour of the lyrics in the Uncle Devil Show project appears here. Justin also indulges his epic writing once more, creating another diatribe in 'The Fight to be Human'. It may be 20 years since 'Nothing Ever Happens' but this songwriter is making it happen with each new release. Highly Recommended.
As with another reviewer pointed out, this is closer to his writing for Del Amitri, with more 'up-tempo' songs than his 1st solo offering 'What Is Love For'. Some of the songs are already familiar listening, songs previewed on his myspace site and on the UK tour of 2007.
As ever, the key thing is the lyrical craft, and there is no disappointment in the wordplay here. Musically it plays safer than 'What Is Love For' but still has great solos from Mick Slaven, and the drumming of Jim McDermott. The humour of the lyrics in the Uncle Devil Show project appears here. Justin also indulges his epic writing once more, creating another diatribe in 'The Fight to be Human'. It may be 20 years since 'Nothing Ever Happens' but this songwriter is making it happen with each new release. Highly Recommended.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Pale pastiche of the Dels
I love Justin Currie, his work has always combined excellent tunes and glorious lyrics and I do not wish to hark back to the past. Read more
Published 2 months ago by B. M. Walker
Quality
Absolute QUALITY, very well wrote and excecuted, would even go to say it is better than most Del Amitri tracks, well worth a try for anyone who has not heard any/much of the... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Roundy
Top drawer
I would put money on the fact that those who love Currie's music are meloncholy by nature. There is something about his music that lends itself to that perticular emotion. Read more
Published 5 months ago by rob roughley
Buy it or miss out!
I'm going to repeat what I have written about Justin's previous solo album, 'What is love for' - as this is an unmissable album if you enjoy great tunes (particularly with a... Read more
Published 10 months ago by A. Davey
Still has that voice!
Justin Currie has one of those voices. You know, you hear a song start and you instantly recognise the singer after the first word has been sung. Read more
Published 15 months ago by T. Sweet
Not a review - Help!
I own a - fabulous! - VHS video called 'the Best of Del Amitri - Hatful of Rain' released in 1998. Definitely 5* - It features '17 TOP SELLING TRACKS' but what I'm really after is... Read more
Published 19 months ago by Agbailey
The Great war
Top Artist, saw Justin in Del Amitri few times. Thought he had lost his musical core since the split, I was very much mistaken. Read more
Published 22 months ago by Astroman
Some Good Tunes (and some of the usual Angst!)
I'm not going to go through each track...others are better at that than me. I looked forward to this album coming out, but I have to say I was a bit...well... Read more
Published 23 months ago by J. R. Bestall
Back to the old Justin
This is more like it, it sounds more like the old Justin Currie rather than the morbid, depressed offering we had in 2008. Read more
Published 23 months ago by Vixx H
Nice to have more of Justin's songs, but album is not quite up to...
Firstly, please don't misunderstand - I'm a huge fan of Del Amitri and of Justin's solo work, so having another album is thrilling. Read more
Published 23 months ago by Paul M
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