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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
McRae the master of spine-tingle, 15 Sep 2005
Spinetingling - Some artistes achieve it on only one song in their whole career, such as BB King on The Thrill is gone - that elusive alchemy of raw intimacy, timing and atmosphere that delivers a true tingle down the spine. Mcrae has an illegal still of the stuff bubbling away that he dips into even more so on this album than his previous sublime offerings. As always a man as much in control of the listener's emotions as he is analytical of his own, McRae wears his heart on a skewer rather than a sleeve. All Maps Welcome is a triumph out of the disaster of a broken relationship - a swirling atmospherically charged affair that romances the listener in one instant only to quickly dash hopes of any lasting happiness, such as on The Girl Who Falls Downstairs, possibly the most exquisitely beautiful song of 2005.Never formulaic, there are, nevertheless, several tracks which follow the slow builder format of 'in with a whisper, out with a roar' but the initial impression of overdone quiet understatement at the start of the album is quickly dispelled by the power of the songs. This is an album that you can dip into, to a degree, unlike his previous two outings which gripped from start to finish. But rather than being the weaker for it, this is a strong collection of standouts with an overall theme, that can still immerse if you want it to. Less intensely charged than Just Like Blood or the eponymous first album, All Map shows a more involving and open McRae with none of the dark brooding that he's occasionally shown. Those already in possession of Tom's previous two albums will expect there to be at least one truly powerful belter of a track a la Karaoke Soul and A and b song - this album does not disappoint with Silent Boulevard continuing that tradition. Vocal pyrotechnics to rival Buckley are in more limited supply this time around as Tom has gone for a more intimately melancholic atmosphere, but Silent Boulevard lets rip as McRae truly can. Tracks that absorb and stun you with their vocals that could etch cut glass are Vampire Heart, Packing For The Crash and Strangest Land. This is an companion album for a long late night drive, or a gift for a trusted lover - think of Songs of..by Leonard Cohen and you'll understand something of the mood. The only negative is the slightly 'Mike Sammes singers' start to Strangest Land but that soon dissipates as the rest of the song comes through strongly. Better than Buckley, more richly rewarding in the listening than Damien Rice, Stephen Fretwell or the truly excellent Ben Chistophers, McRae remains, quite simply, the best singer-songwriter in the British Isles and therefore, by definition, on the planet.
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