STARRY EYED AND LAUGHING „Bells of Lightning” (Aurora AUR20, 2021) - new album

 

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/