Happy Ending… New beginning
Review: Glenn Tilbrook – Happy Ending
Published on January 9th, 2014 | Jonny Abrams
Positively gleaming: yes, that seems to be the best way to sum up Glenn Tilbrook’s brand new solo album Happy Ending.
It’s a mystical kind of gleam, to be more precise, one supplemented with the abundant good nature and melodic mastery that’s always bubbled up through his work, be it with Squeeze or otherwise.
There’s still a lovely, satisfying timbre to Tilbrook’s voice which, wrapped around the playfully affectionate odes to various people in his life, makes the songwriting sound simple even when it’s really quite sophisticated.
Happy Ending is marked also by exotic instrumentation: an ace twisty string arrangement mirroring the vocal melody on windswept would-be epic “Persephone”, kazoo on the Revolver-evoking “Mud Island”, thumb piano and clattering percussion on “Rupert”…even tooting seaside organ on the joyous singalong that is closing track “Ice Cream”.
“Bongo Bill”, written alongside and featuring the voice of his 10-year-old son Leon, is adorable with its tale of going to watch a football team lose 5-0, sealing the deal with the quietly wonderful line “He had a girl, she didn’t stay / He wondered why it was that way”.
Fine thing it is too, from a musical perspective…but then you could say that for everything here. Would you expect any less from yer man Tilbrook?
Happy Ending will be released February 10th on Quixotic Records. For more information, please visit the official Glenn Tilbrook website.
Rocksucker says: Four Quails out of Five!
NOW: check out our interview with Glenn Tilbrook, in which he discusses his forthcoming project with Danny Baker and former Squeeze ally Chris Difford.
About the Author
Jonny Abrams Editor of Rocksucker and the website's founder, Jonny is passionate about the music he listens to, both good and bad, as well as interviewing his favourite musicians.
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