Thursday, May 10, 2007

Fluidity - I Write Songs Not Cheques

Hear The Track Here

You know young John Paul Carroll (for it is he) has been doing very well by me of late; even more so than normal. Point in case: Negative Slant (April 2007) got a highly recommended from me and still sits there on my hard drive being fired up occasionally. Such is the power of a song, grasshopper. Especially when it comes from someone who thinks about what he wants to say. Fluidity almost has a sideline in auto-biographical asides in a number of subjects ranging from death to taxes; whatever it is, he's got a song for it. In common with Negative Slant, I Write Songs Not Cheques has a couple of spots which I didn't feel 100% comfortable with - at least at first.

More on that in a while...

The initial cause of that is the kinda/sorta middle eight/chorus which doesn't fit all that well with the straight ahead rockin that pushes the verses over the edge so well. The track changes it's whole tone going into this chorus, and for my money loses the appeal it builds up during the verses. It sounds a good deal better the second time around after the second verse; more seamless and closer (I think) to the core of the track. That core is hard, heavy and rocking in a way I haven't heard from JP in a while; if this retained any more power it would surely explode of its own accord.

Given time, as always with Fluidity tracks, I Write Songs... turns out to be a cracker song, even given this artists usual high standard; the only real blot being that odd bit around the first chorus and even that gets better with time. It doesn't feel any more (I can't believe I am about to say this) fluid with repeated plays, it is a definite disjoint in what is otherwise a storming track that John Paul should rightly feel proud of - despite what I personally think about its structure. As always with this artist, the production is top class and the performance is amongst the best I have ever heard from him. All of which, as I say, does tend to make the odd quibble less meaningful. Besides how could I resist a song with the lyrics 'You got your head jammed in the business end of a horse thats just about to bolt; You got your dirty fingers in too many pies to taste the sweetness from the salt; You got your assets and liabilities but the only thing I need is me; so I'll save my best for a better day, and I'll give you the rest for free'

Amen to that, brother.

Highly Recommended and a Must Have for Fluidity's many fans...

No comments: