Andy Burrows – Company CD / Razorlight
The pantheon of rock drummers turned successful solo artists is notably sparse. By far the most successful examples of few are Dave Grohl and, erm, Phil Collins. Former Razorlight drummer and now We Are Scientist Andy Burrows is someone who easily belongs in that same small category.
‘Company’ is actually, strictly speaking, Burrows’ third solo LP after 2008’s slight curio ‘The Colour Of My Dreams’ and the 2010 album released under the moniker I Am Arrows. In essence, though, ‘Company’ is Burrows’ real solo debut and represents the definitive flowering of all his melodic talents.
The premise is extremely simple. The ten tracks created here are lovely pieces of immaculately crafted rock and pop classicism. The influences of the late sixties and early seventies, The Beatles and their attendant solo projects and Neil Young loom large. There is a certain degree of reverence at work here in Burrows’ odes to a golden age of rock but the sheer melodic quality of the songs lifts them above pastiche and derivatives. The soft folksy guitar and graceful strings of the opening title track are indicative of the gently unfurling charms of the album. One thing that immediately stands out is the quality of Burrows voice, soft and pure and with a newfound gravitas.
The classic rock sound is continued on the Neil Young-like groove of Mark Ronson co-write ‘Keep On Moving On’, also featuring a strutting guitar solo from his WAS bandmate Keith Murray. Elsewhere, the album is embellished with a number of elegant ballads, and piano and strings are to the fore as on the utterly gorgeous reflection of ‘Maybe You’. The jazzy inflections of a brass section show just how far he has come in terms of arrangements from the scrappy lo-fi twee of his earliest solo recordings.
There is a yearning and dreamy quality to much of the best material here - ‘Stars’ is another ballad drenched in melancholy. It also offers the albums most affecting chorus as Burrows coos with wide-eyed charm, “There are no stars in the sky, and I never asked why”. ‘Company’ marks a significant step forward for Burrows as he seeks to establish himself as a songwriter of prominence free from the shackles of anyone else. It is a very fine record from a songwriter who is getting better and better.
Label: Play It Again Sam
Country: Europe
Media Condition: Very Good Plus (VG+)
Sleeve Condition: Near Mint (NM or M-)
Plays great with only a few superficial marks