FRASER ANDERSON – Little Glass Box (Membran 233896)

FRASER ANDERSON – Little Glass BoxRecorded in the Languedoc region of France and originally released four years ago, this has hitherto largely only been available at Anderson’s live shows; however, the German label has now stepped up to the plate to not only give it wider exposure but also persuade the Edinburgh singer-songwriter to sign his first ever record deal…after some 20 years in the business.

His third release (following the self-released 2003 debut and 2007 follow-up), it showcases his warm, husky voice and retro Celtic soul style, given solid support from musicians that include former Ronnie Scott Quartet trumpeter Dick Pearce, jazz-rock veteran keyboard player Max Middleton and double bass legend Danny Thompson, who chose to include the album’s opening track, ‘Rag & Bones’, which sounds melodically not unlike a slower version of Paul Brady’s ‘Crazy Dreams’, on Connected, an album charting his own lengthy career.

Elsewhere, ‘Never Know’, a fond reverie of his grandfather, and ‘Warhorse’, with its forlorn trumpet, brushed drums, laid back jazzy electric piano and the whispered French tones of Anne Francoise Lacroix, will undoubtedly prompt comparisons to early John Martyn while the shuffling jazzed ‘New York’ and ‘Only A Boy’ recall the dreamier side of Paul Simon.

Although there’s up-tempo jauntiness present in the banjo accompanied title track (another Simon influenced number) and ‘Your Love’, with its bluesy Randy Newmanesque acoustic piano intro giving way to banjo and slide guitar, the album’s dominant musical tone is slow and reflective, underscoring the wistful melancholy that informs lyrics to numbers such as ‘Run These Lines’ with its sad mandola solo fade, the suppressed hurt of ‘Open Sky’ (“I was told once if you can’t say something good, don’t say anything, so I won’t write this song about you”) and ‘Waterfall’ (“all you want to be is on fire, and all you think you’ve gone is wrong”) a number that sees wife Grace joining on harmonies. As well as providing the album artwork and photography, she’s also the subject of its dedication and the song named after her, his voice soaring to a sweet falsetto as he sings with confessional intimacy “you make it all so beautiful, so hold me close…..I would gladly give this all away to stay by you”. A largely unknown secret   for far too long, it’s time to throw open the box and discover the treasure within.

Mike Davies

‘Rag & Bones’:


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