by David Kidman
by David Kidman
Rod's principal claim to fame is still his authorship of Lindisfarne's
joyous anthem Meet Me On The Corner, but after his brief post-Lindisfarne
adventure with spinoff band Jack The Lad and almost 20 years of
collaborative or session work (appearing on albums by everyone from Michael
Chapman, Bert Jansch and Ralph McTell to
Thea Gilmore and even Kathryn
Tickell) he released a storming solo record Stamping Ground six years ago.
Barring a live set Live Ghosts, (which unaccountably had completely passed
me by), Odd Man Out is Rod's first solo set since, and it's another stunner.
Produced by "the man with the golden coins for ears" Nigel Stonier, the
new album once again showcases Rod's commitment to turning out high-quality,
solidly crafted songs that while remaining commercially mindful refuse to
compromise in any way to the modern trend for bland homogeneity in
songwriting. The ten songs, all but three of which were co-written with
Nigel, reference a bewildering variety of subjects yet retain an accessible
and universal simplicity of thought and idiom and a basic rootsy quality.
Right from the ear-catching deep-twang reflection of All Grown Up And
Nowhere To Go, you know you're in for an exciting ride, and the energetic
and well-observed inventiveness never lets up throughout the album's unduly
brief 38-minute span, taking in the stomping rock'n'roll of Ragtown, the
slightly sinister fragility of Touch-Me-Not, the thrusting
Nick Lowe-style
powerhouse-rock of New Best Friend and the hopeful, pensive September
Sunrise. Rod's expertise on all things stringed is never in question, and
his backing band (largely Dave Hull-Denholm,
Ian Thomson, Paul Burgess and
Nigel S himself) do him proud, playing with presence and guts while keeping
a credible distance, and once again Rod's blessed with a fine backing
vocalist in Thea Gilmore. It's a self-recommending set really, about
which little more need be said for its quality speaks for itself in volumes.
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