An album that sees Roberts continue to cement his place as one of this country’s finest singer/songwriters of his generation.
London based Ned Roberts has gradually garnered a healthy reputation among this country’s new crop of excellent singer/songwriters. From his eponymous debut album in 2014 to his third and most recent offering of new material “Dream Sweetheart”, that saw the light of day in 2020, his burgeoning reputation has found favour with such mainstream radio deejay’s as Lauren Laverne, Jo Whiley, Gideon Coe, and Roddy Hart. During lockdown he took the opportunity to raid his own archives and deliver “From The Reels 2012 – 2020″, revisiting, b-sides, alternative takes, and unreleased material in an unadorned and intimate format. Now, reunited with producer/multi-instrumentalist Luther Russell, Roberts’ presents his fourth studio album “Heavy Summer”, furnished with ten new tracks that strengthens his reputation and bolsters his already impressive cannon of work.
Roberts’ previous releases had seen him draw comparison to many of the iconic singer/songwriters from the Laurel Canyon scene of the late sixties and early seventies, in particular James Taylor, of whose guitar style of using less predictable fingerpicked passages over 7th, suspended and diminished chords, embellished with plenty hammer-ons and pull-offs, are a favourite trait of Roberts. This can be heard to good effect on the opening bars of the first track ‘Play My Cards’, and later on songs such as the lyrically reflective ‘Songs Of Spring’, and ‘Morning Meets The Rain’, an evocative pastoral folk number full of bucolic imagery. Elsewhere, Russell uses an array of instruments to create a broader, more expansive soundscape, such as on the bluesy slow waltz of ‘Down To The Edge’, while the percussive drive on ‘Days Into Days’, helps deliver a sense of urgency to a narrative conscious of the rapidly passing of time.
This new album continues to highlight the symbiotic relationship between Roberts and Russell that began back in 2014, and like its predecessors was recorded in LA. The latter’s innate ability to provide the right arrangement to support Roberts’ most intimate and reflective lyrical narratives is ably emphasised on ‘Losing Sight’, and the introspective ‘Halfway From Reason’, the heart of each song reaching back through the decades to the heyday of the confessional songwriter. In contrast the musical support on ‘Another Record Round’, uses broader brush strokes and brighter colours to help emphasise the juxtaposition of the lyrical narrative grappling with hope, resignation, and acceptance in the natural world. Roberts vocals have always been revered, drawing high praise and comparison to the aforementioned Taylor as well as Nick Drake but here he sounds stronger and more confident than on previous releases with a soulful resonance, squeezing and caressing notes that conjures up memories of a youthful John Martyn, but with a slightly sweeter conclusion.
The album draws to a close with two further gems. Firstly ‘Tomorrow In Time’, with its harmonica intro doffing its cap to Dylan, before a vocal delivery and lyrical narrative that desperately seeks refuge between the calm and the storm conjures up memories of the late and much missed Gordon Lightfoot. The final track ‘The Breakers’, is a meditative ballad, the guitar accompaniment continually switching between picked and strummed, that builds to a hymnal finale wonderfully supported by Sarabeth Tulek on backing vocals.
With ‘Heavy Summer’, Roberts continues to strengthen his reputation, delivering ten songs that collectively are his strongest offering yet, and should ensure that his standing in the ever competitive, not to mention congested, world of singer/songwriters, continues on an upward trajectory.
And yet another new name who, thanks to you Graeme, will further eat into my precious listening time! On the evidence of this track I certainly recognise the singer/songwriter Laurel Canyon vibe you mentioned and that, dear sir, was all it took to draw me in!