Like many others I have had my first experience of working from home in the last few weeks.
I’ve enjoyed it, and I’ve found it not particularly distracting (my boss doesn’t read this as far as I know, so I am telling the truth) but to be honest, if I’d written this verse, I’d have knocked off early and gone to watch old football on the tele.
“There’s a fox in the chicken run, a diamond down the loo/the scarecrows fallen over, I don’t know what to do/there’s a can of coke in the yard hanging off a stick/trainers on the power line, thrown up by a dick/there’s a weevil in the cotton field/poison in the well/the microwave just caught on fire and the pick-up’s shot to hell….”
Whatever else Philip Rambow has done (and there’s a lot, we’ll get to it) then I am telling you, it’s a real genius that comes up with that and makes it sound “normal”, that is to say, I am not a fan of “comedy” records, nor have I got any time for the intentionally wacky. The sort of idiot that when you start a new job introduces themselves by saying: “I’m the office joker”, the type of person that my grandfather used to rather euphemistically describe as a “character.”
If, however, you have a naturally quirky way of looking at things, then step right up. And that is “Canadiana”.
Across the 11 songs here, you will hear all sorts that make you go “blimey” (at one point he rhymes “mashed potato” with “blow” and it all makes sense) the verse that I typed out above comes from “Things Are Not looking Good” but you can dip into many places and find something as brilliantly offbeat.
The best thing about it, actually, is that I wasn’t expecting it. “American Buffalo” which opens up, is reasonably standard Americana, superbly played, as befits a man who has been doing this for decades.
The cast on “Canadiana” is impressive. For this release, Philip called on friends from across his career: produced by Paul Cuddeford (Prefab Sprout, Energy Orchard), who also played guitar, the album features cameos from guitarist Martin Belmont (Graham Parker, Nick Lowe), Elvis Costello & The Attractions’ drummer Pete Thomas, bassist Davey Faragher (Costello, Cracker), vocalist Sharlene Hector (Basement Jaxx), pianist Geraint Watkins and fiddler Bob Loveday (Penguin Café Orchestra).
And largely, he has opened his all American songbook. If it’s been in US roots music over the last 60 years or so, then its here too. “….Good” is full of bluegrass fiddle, and the tender ballad “Out On Your Own” is a duet worthy of the classic country stars.
It’s just that it never stops too long to look at the islands in this particular stream, as it were. There’s exploring to do. “Get Even” is acoustic, front porch blues, and “Springtime In Heart” is a quite fabulous rag time ode to the social media age. And if that sounds incongruous, then it is, but somehow Rambow and the ladies and gents make it work.
Some of this is truly tender. “Oceans Apart” mixes some brilliant slide guitar and lap steel with some real soul touches, and the storytelling on “Hard Times” is as working class as it gets. Billy Bragg, you can imagine writing this ode to a love gone bad, with a married couple living separate lives: “she’s a woman, not a wife” observes Rambow here and there’s a real skill and deftness of touch on show.
It’s just that this is mixed in with songs like “Piggin’ Out” – which has a bit of a Stray Cats thing going on, but Slim Jim, to the best of my knowledge has never sang: “I love all kinds of flavours, I love all kinds of tastes, and every one I savour as I shove it in my face”. That’s the one that prefers mash to coke too, of course.
Two of the last three, “Angel Everyday” and “Devoted To You”, are written with Scottish artist Jack Henderson, and they have a real folky flourish, while the one in between, “Making Up For Lost Time” sounds like it should be in a 50s musical. It’s call and response vocals are just timeless, and the damn thing sounds carefree – then it offers the cheery thought: “We’re all just gonna get it in the end.”
Fair point, and somehow in keeping with this, given that there’s always a twist here.
Remember I said about all the things Philip Rambow had done in 40 years? One of them was co-writing “There’s A Guy Works Down The Chip Shop Swears He’s Elvis” with Kirsty MacColl. He also worked with Brian Eno. But here’s the thing. I nearly didn’t put any of that in. None of it matters. All that does, is this: If you like the use of language and brilliantly played songs from the American classic tradition, then listen to “Canadiana” immediately.
Rating 8.5/10
