Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10
If you come across Ian McNabb at a gig or sitting in a pub somewhere in Liverpool over the next few months, politely shake him by the hand and tell him what a fantastic and expansive recording Eclectic Warrior is. You would be doing one of Liverpool’s finest sons a great honour because it is not just fantastic, this is Ian McNabb, the man who can sing Pink Floyd harmonies with random strangers and make the interloper sound polished and professional, at his very, very best. Part belligerent, confrontational, creatively fiery and impassioned in his lyrics, wonderfully passionate in his music and if Great Things in 2010 was a huge stepping stone, this sees Ian leaping gaping chasms in the music cause.
Just as Ian McNabb could harness the energy and disdain of the public smoking ban and the beauty of being able to flirt well with those in the same position and turn it into a tune worthy of the great mavericks, rebels and lovers in Smirtin’, his disdain of those turned into a great rock track and his palpable and searing tongue ready to pounce on any unsuspecting listener, a track of great humour but also of contempt.
Only Ian McNabb could come up with this absolute ball crunching intro to an album really, worthy of great poetry but with that certain edge that makes him one of the characters of the city and so interesting to catch live.
The album reveals that little bit more into the life of Ian McNabb, if there is anything more to be said as he has already written his heart out over many years and many albums, each song showing the great empathy and loves of his life, music and Liverpool. Listening to the album you can’t help but want to know more and more, often outspoken, as is his right, he hides nothing but manages to keep deep seated angry and affectionate feelings buried tight, only letting them loose when the time is right. You can’t help but wonder who he is thinking of when he sings No Hero of Mine, his pain and memories in the absolutely fantastic My Life To Live Again and the sheer random loss of humanity and honesty in Woman Killed By Falling Tree.
There are many people of many generations in Liverpool, each have played their part in making the city what it is today but Ian McNabb like many of those he sees as peers have made it exceptional.
Eclectic Warrior is an ode to a man, self-penned and one that will be enjoyed by so many.
Ian D. Hall