Lesson learnt. Don’t judge a book by its cover and don’t judge an album by its title. I was expecting Between The Covers; 9 Songs For Bibliophiles to be a scholarly, or at least mindful, exercise in the role literature has played in history and culture. What I didn’t expect was the opening, and closest to title, track ‘You Can’t Judge A Book By The Cover’ to be a full on thumping blues number; that was a very pleasant surprise. I thought it sounded familiar and it is the Willie Dixon song made famous by Bo Diddley.
What Paul Armfield, a bookshop owner and Isle Of Wight resident, had done with his latest album of four cover and five original songs is to use books as a metaphor for life. As we find in books there’s the romantic drama and the love story, but also the dusty page no longer turned, the second hand cast-off or remaindered one left on shelf. Truly all human life is here.
The covers range from Elvis Costello’s ‘Everyday I Write The Book’ to Rogers & Hart’s ‘I Could Write A Book’ but it’s Paul own compositions that steal the show. He’s a very good and profound lyricist and demonstrates how books can stay with us through life and affecting the way we look at life as we go through it. ‘Bookmarks’ takes us back to the early days of stories at bedtime and Ladybird covers that still bring back memories “From gingerbread houses to bears in check trousers”. Then, as we grow there are the adventure stories and even the “French libertines”. Just listening to the song will evoke memories and perhaps make you reach for a now dog-eared novel you haven’t opened for years. As C.S. Lewis said, in his dedication to Lucy in ‘The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe’, “But some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again.”
Paul has a wonderful voice, rich and mellow with every word perfectly enunciated. It’s a voice that lulls you and the lyrics are certainly well worth paying close attention to as that way you’ll get every nuance of the song. It’s difficult to pick a favourite track on the album, because I enjoyed them all, but ‘Paperback’ is very high on the list. Again a book as life. The paperback doesn’t quite have the quality of a hardback, sometimes discounted or offered “three for two” but what if you’re the freebie to be read once and then ending up in the charity shop along with E.L James, Dan Brown or David Niven? The closing line is quite devastating “What a waste of good paper”.
‘My Bookworm’ also scores highly. It’s slightly more up-tempo and has a different feel to it; slightly smoky jazz café complete with tinkly piano and strings. This is the life partner who can read you like a book and gently points out your mistakes, as every good editor should, and probably knows more about your story than you do. After all they the central character, romantic interest and there for better or worse.
Of the covers ‘Books About UFOS’, originally by Grant Hart of American punk rockers Hüsker Dü stands out, and Paul goes for it with sci-fi electronica but a country feel about a girl who is in to UFOs and probably all sorts of new age things, yet there’s something beguiling about her. It’s a great fun track and shows what range he has as a performer.
Between The Covers releases in May and will be available through the artist’s website, where it can be pre-ordered. Paul will also be on tour to promote the album, playing a lot of shows in bookshops as well as venues, details on the website, and it will be worth getting to one those to pick the album up there. You will enjoy listening to it.
Tony Birch
Artist’s website: https://paularmfield.com/
‘Bookmarks’ – live:
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