Enticed out of a lengthy self-imposed Spanish exile by Vienna-born fellow musician Robert Rotifer, the magnanimous John Howard has obviously been thinking a lot about his past recently. Sometimes – either through his own eyes or those of a beautifully rounded character – it is with a misty-eyed nostalgia for those halcyon days; at other times shot through with regret and disdain for those too set in their ways to accept Howard’s open homosexuality.
“Stop for the homophobes, bigots and yobs,” sings the Lancastrian on ‘Safety In Numbers’ – a disgruntled memoir, perhaps, of a less forgiving age when he first outed himself back in the 1970s, and a charming love note to his long-time partner and husband that reads like a marriage vow renewal. ‘We’re ready for our close-up, Mr. DeMille‘, is a defiant show of strength in this context, and is eloquent and appealing in equal measure.
Their self titled album though, is not just a bitter tirade against his historical antagonists. There is such a rich tapestry of oddballs and ne’er-do-wells inhabiting Howard’s world that we are frequently left in awe of his acerbic, funny prose. A prime example is ‘London’s After-Work Drinking Culture’, full of contempt and focusing on the very British custom of having to be seen to interact socially beyond clocking off time ‘lest they think you’re a loner‘. We can all relate to this, to some extent at least, I suspect. “Once again, you are smelling the breath of that man from HR“, observes our spokesman, and continues “and you wonder how he ever got this far”. And a nation nods in agreement.
Musically, it’s a real melting pot – a hybrid of Burt Bacharach, Paul McCartney, Kevin Tihista, Elton John and Randy Newman, and quite frankly, it’s a riot!
‘Intact And Smiling‘ is mercurial, with the sweat and swagger of The Zombies‘ ‘Time Of The Season‘ and the modern contemporary appeal of Temples. ‘In The Light Of Fires Burning‘ begins like a cross between Dodgy‘s ‘Grassman‘ and Einaudi‘s ‘Le Onde’ but really is Elton all over, and ‘Deborah Fletcher‘ is the kind of quirky escapade that could easily have been one of Queen‘s more celebrated early album tracks.
‘Control Freak‘ has the bluesy piano stomp of The Band‘s ‘Rag Mama Rag‘ and a verse that rather strangely recalls Wham!‘s ‘Freedom‘.
One of the most endearing moments here, however, does not actually emanate from the pen of Howard himself, instead being an utterly lovely version of Roddy Frame‘s ‘Small World‘, which starts as though it is going to be a cover of ‘Walking In Memphis‘ but becomes what feels like the perfect accompaniment to a romantic meal at a fancy restaurant.
With the grandiosity of Rufus Wainwright, the poisoned wit of Morrissey as bemused onlooker, and the songwriting prowess of Mike Batt (this is a compliment), this might well be one of the most invigorating, fun albums you’ll hear this year.
[Rating:4]
