Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

Elegance is not a right, the sophistication of a song is not created by accident or by design, it is merely down to the attitude of the musician and the mutual bond that was formed in the early lyrical squeeze offered as the first note captured their affections. Tastes in both can change, an early love can become an embarrassment, a song once mooned over and protestations of love declared can become the memory of horror and the refusal to play it for anyone. In the end elegance is where the love remains and where the Believers stamp their authority.

For Deacon Blue, belief is at the very core of their studio work and the general arena of the live performance, never one to go out of fashion because they have no need to pander to the trend or the fleeting craze, their music has remained steadfast, the ship of dignity of which they often sing about is perhaps the best analogy for their career, they are a personification of dignity. They are the model of decorum and their music always reflects that state; it is no different in their new album Believers, an album that carries solemnity and consideration, faith, completely in their tracks.

There is a huge amount of calm that comes through the album, a sense of immediate acceptance as one does when you find after a long dusty drive, through the heat and damnation of the day, that the shower you have been dreaming of, is actually a waterfall carved out by nature over a hundred thousand years; you place your trust in it and it in return invigorates you.

Belief, the point of continued existence, is such that is sown through the album in such a way that it is impossible to ignore, whether for good or ill, belief is what carries the songs on and in tracks such as I Will and I Won’t, Meteors, You Can’t Know Everything and Delivery Man, the subtle beauty of Ricky Ross’ and Lorraine McIntosh’s vocals remain as stunning as you could hope for. It is the result of conviction and ideal that across four decades Deacon Blue can be seen to remain resolutely in charge.

A beautiful album, one that is steeped in certainty, Believers is the aural personification of that original and much valued dignity.

Ian D. Hall