Third solo release for veteran musician with tinges of southern soul and new wave.
Although Brinsley Schwarz has had a rich and varied musical career spanning six decades, playing with the likes of Duck Deluxe, Graham Parker and The Rumour, and Carlene Carter, it’s somewhat of a surprise to learn that ‘Shouting at the Moon’ is only his third solo record. There was a time when Schwarz admitted to going through a songwriting drought, which lasted almost 20 years. However, Schwarz’s enthusiasm for writing and recording has been rekindled in recent years, following his first two solo albums released in 2016 and 2021, respectively, in addition to recent tours with Graham Parker, have also acted as inspiration.
The nine songs on ‘Shouting at the Moon’ were written at different times over the past 30 years. Schwarz has said that tracks like ‘The Chance’, ‘Nothing Is What It Seems’, and ‘What in the World’ were written between the late 1990s and early 2005. Some songs that made it onto this album were originally intended for his debut solo release, but with a surplus of recorded material, the final track selection was based on how well the songs went together to form a coherent and cohesive body of work. In fact, Schwarz says that he very much sees his first three solo albums as a trilogy.
Opener ‘Every Day‘ chugs along nicely with a warm soul feel provided by the brass section and Schwarz’s slightly raspy vocals. ‘What in the World‘ features some Steely Danesque guitar from Schwarz, who also plays bass on the track, together with many others. ‘Nothing is What it Seems‘ is a commentary on politicians and a possibly bleak future. ‘Hard to Change‘ has a similar groove to Ian Dury’s ‘Sex’N’Drugs’N’Rock’N’Roll‘, which is no bad thing, and features some great keyboard riffs from James Hallawell, who not only contributed Rhodes and Hammond vibes to several tracks but also produced the album. Schwarz covers ‘Watch the Moon Come Down’, written by Graham Parker in the late 1970s as he was gazing out of a window of his flat in Finsbury Park, although apparently Parker couldn’t actually see the Earth’s only natural satellite. Schwarz’s version is lovely and relatively faithful to the original.
The album closes with ‘It’s Been a Long Year‘, which Schwarz has said is about climate change and imploring humanity to stop wrecking the planet. This record is Schwarz’s most soulful release to date. If you’re a fan of fluid guitar lines, soulful arrangements and smoky vocals, then this could be right up your street.
