It's ironic that just as the rejuvenated Kitchenware label should be throwing a new breed of hyped young upstart such as The Departure at us that one of their original unsung heroes should again creep out of the woodwork.
Singer/ songwriter Paul Handyside originally fronted the under-rated indie guitar songsmiths Hurrah! during the 1980s and - along with North-East neighbours Prefab Sprout - was briefly one of the young indie faces of the decade's middle years. His band would go on to battle Arista and lose in the major label stakes, but it's some while since your he caught your reviewer's ear.
Until now, that is, for with BRONZE, Paul has put together a formidable and sympathetic trio who sound like the perfect vehicle for his songs. Yes, he's a little older and wiser and his new songs are of the seasoned singer/ songwriter variety. He makes few concessions - thank goodness - to passing fads and sure as hell ain't standing on the hard shoulder trying to flag down the punk-funk protagonists who are re-introducing his old label to the scene.
It all makes perfect sense when you hear Bronze's new (second) album "A Common Prayer" too. It's a well-crafted, songwriterly affair which eschews pointless fashions and instead cuts to the emotional core. Handyside's songs are top quality, and in drummer Ade Evans and bassist Rob Tickell he is aided and abetted by two gifted sidemen who make numerous crucial contributions as well as delivering strong harmonies as and when required. Opening track "Weight Of The World" gives you some idea of their capabilities: it's an aching, languid ballad with a tangible melancholic undertow that suits the mood and makes it immediately clear Bronze can handle pop imbued with gravitas.
From there on in, "A Common Prayer" proves to be a diverse outing. Songs like the excellent "Right Time" and the exultant "Love On" proffer a classy, spangling Rickenbacker-based sound (along the lines of The Byrds' crystalline "Fifth Dimension" from 1966) and immediate, celebratory hooks aplenty. Both of these are bold statements of intent, although the album's no-nonsense rocker is surely "It Can Happen", which is a proud and effective ode to escaping the daily drudgery where the band cruise along in fine style with the top down.
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If anything, though, Bronze are even better when they slow things down somewhat. Indeed, they're wholly effective whether they're succumbing to impressive, Gospel-tinged piano ballads like "Good Has Gone" or liaising with country-imbued, pedal-steel assisted tunes like "Step Lightly" and "Grey October". Indeed, had Ryan Adams recorded the latter, even the fickle old NME would have been raving about it. But that's a gripe for another day.
In time-honoured tradition, they keep the epic "This Paradise" in reserve for the home strait. It's a bitter, blue slowburner which stokes up a grandstanding finale as the band let rip and guitars rain down all over the shop before it finally cools out and makes for the tape with Handyside wearily suggesting we "can't escape from who we are" as the song fades out.
It's a cogent parting shot, too, as with "A Common Prayer" Paul Handyside reminds us he's a classy songwriter we should keep in mind regardless of the vagaries of fashion. Whether it'll help re-establish him as a commercial force or not, it's an excellent album with precious weak spots and deserves to give Bronze a shot at the critical medals at the very least.
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