The role of male solo singer-songwriter is a tricky one; does one take the well-trodden path of James “rhyming slang” Blunt or David Gray and settle for scoring the vacuous soundtrack to dinner parties?  Or does one plough the less-financially (but more artistically) rewarding furrow of Nick Cave, Will Oldham or Mark Lanegan?  Well, former Million Dead frontman Frank Turner has not settled on the former, so you can read on without fear of vomiting.  He’s found another route, a humourous, down-but-not-out, brow-beaten road along which to take the listener.  And with his everyman-style delivery and tales of recognisable people, places and situations, he’s struck gold on only his second solo release.

From the rousing opener “I Knew Frufrock…”, to the penultimate “St Christopher…” and wrenching closer “Jet Lag”, Turner rattles through 12 tracks of highs and lows, loves and losses and resentful tales of feeling distant from his roots, all the while coating every track in his eternal optimism (“Long Live The Queen” is the most chirpy, upbeat song about death you will ever hear!).

Liberally sprinkled throughout are razor-sharp lyrics, that even on second track, the Dodgy-esque “Reasons Not To Be An Idiot”, start to surface at dizzying speed; he sings of “making bonfires of my vanities” and on “Substitute” mischievously declares that “if music was the food of love, I’d be a fat, romantic slob”.

The second quarter of “Love, Ire & Song” contains the few weak points that prevent this being a perfect ten out of ten.  It ultimately comes down to pace, with the slower laments replacing energy with a generous dollop of wistfulness.  

The title track veers toward Pogues territory, but with better teeth, a drink-fuelled hark back to how it all used to be and perhaps admittance that the energy to do anything about the injustices of the world now is all but gone.  “Imperfect Tense” finally picks the pace up again with its infectiously jangly guitars and frenzied, crashing cymbals, leading perfectly into the two standout tracks.  “To Take You Home” is a Celtic-inspired, mandolin-infused ode to Turner’s home town of Winchester and the memories he has had to leave there over the years, whilst “Love Worth Keeping” shelters a tale of loss under some beautifully subtle reverb before bursting into an uplifting Eastern-tinged final two-thirds.

“Love, Ire & Song” is as real a collection of experiences you can have without actually having them yourself, and for that it deserves your time NOW!

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Track Listing

I Knew Prufrock Before He Got Famous
Reasons Not To Be An Idiot
Photosynthesis
Substitute
Better Half
Love Ire And Song
Imperfect Tense
To Take You Home
Long Live The Queen
Love Worth Keeping
St Christopher Is Coming Home
Jet Lag