(Xtra Mile)
One might have thought PJ Harvey's Let England Shake had cornered the market in Wessex-based songwriters from noisy backgrounds exploring Englishness through folk-related forms, but no. Frank Turner's fourth album, though, comes at England from a different tack, seeing it as a country to celebrate, rather than mourn: Rivers dwells on our island identity, English Curse tells an a capella story of the Norman conquest to illustrate the nation's capacity for resistance. Turner's greatest strength could also be the single thing that some listeners will find hardest to overcome: his absolute sincerity. When, on I Still Believe, he announces his belief that "rock'n'roll will save us all", it's hard not to raise an eyebrow, especially when he follows it with his assertion that "anyone can take the stage ? and make miracles for minimum wage". But it's a refreshing contrast to the prevailing weary cynicism of so much of what passes for cool, and as Turner reminds us in Eulogy: "On the day I die/ I'll say: 'At least I fucking tried.'" England Keep My Bones is bracing, and ? in the end ? oddly charming.
Cindy Taylor Halle Berry Catherine Bell Tessie Santiago Jessica Simpson
No comments:
Post a Comment