This is a
wonderful album. It is just the album I needed in these dark days. Tony Poole
and Iain Whitmore are responsible for another Starry Eyed And Laughing album almost
50 years after their last official release. Whitmore and Poole’s elegant voices
harmonize beautifully and they chime like the Bells of Rhymney: two elder
statesmen who sing like they were in their early 20s. Yes, occasionally the
Byrds influence is unmistakable, but what’s wrong with that? Poole is a master
of the 12-string Rickenbacker and he makes excellent use of it. Dreamyard
Angels is 8-Miles-High-Byrds at their best, with a psychedelic guitar solo that
will pull the tiles off your roof. In contrast Whitmore’s songs are more
countryesque and recall the days of Pub Rock. As Poole and Whitmore almost
equally participate in song writing, “Bells of Lightning” is varied and
eclectic. I’ve been playing this album for about 20 times, and it still grows
on me. There isn’t a mediocre song on it. It is full of intensity and emotion -
like an early summer full-moon night. It’s an honour to listen to it before the
world goes to shreds. The songs are about love, faith, broken ties, longing and
forgiving – just what people experience every day. The lyrics are profound and
occasionally romantic like Whitmore pleading to a child to Come Home: ‘We’ll
keep your bedroom just the way it is.’
This is a
guitar album as well as one of singer-songwriters. Often, albums by ageing
musicians are disappointing – so I wouldn’t have taken anything as great as
this for granted. Songs like Stranger In My Time are rarely written these days.
Obviously, there is a lot of music fodder in the Poole/Whitmore barn. They even
come up with a kind of Starry Eyed And Laughing Orchestra for Love Still Speaks
Your Name. Needless to mention that the overall sound of the music is full and
rich. Great job, Tony Poole!
Standing out
from the lot are Faith Hope And Charity (Whitmore) where dual vocals and
musical accompaniment fit beautifully and All Things Lost (Poole). If the
latter song doesn’t move you, nothing will.
Unfortunately,
the CD sleeve doesn’t bear comparison with the music nor does it portray it. And -
don’t be irritated by the track numbering, something went wrong there.
You can
order the album from https://starryeyedandlaughing.com/
