Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * * *

Sir Thomas More, whose remains lay the crypt inside The Tower of London, got it wrong when he spoke of the nation having the chance to grasp of being a society built on utopia, like his own relics, his ideas were based on flawed theoretical thinking, a belief that what was under the thumb of the tyrant King Henry VIII was, despite being an imagined island, the epitome of English society, that this utopia, like a new Jerusalem evoked in later centuries was one in which England deserved to be recognised as a force for good.

Utopia is a myth, it relies on compliance of all, and to be part of something so dogmatic that it cannot be argued with, it is no place to be as it has at its centre a logic of twisted values, better then to be a Utopian, to strive for the betterment of the self, to serve only one cause, that of your practised artform and deliver it in such a way that it makes those who come to worship understand the depth of beauty, the hardship, the ethic of work, that went into producing a stunner of an album; arguably not just an album of the year, but one of the artist’s life.

In an album that delivers more than can be spoken of in a short time or viewpoint, tracks such as Harry Dean Stanton, Deserter, the superb Rollin’ On (The Things We Gave Away), YOLO, Runnin’ Outta Stuff, Gigolo Days, Swiss Army Knife Of Fuerteventura, Jivin Miss Daisy and No One Tells A Lie Like A Dude With A Tie see Liverpool’s Ian McNabb take the reins once more of one of the music ambassadors of the city, a position that the music on this album especially that he takes with extreme honour. Every moment is filled with polished nuance, each segment takes the listener by the hand and allows them to peel back the layers that have seen Mr. McNabb’s life become so colourful, and for that alone the retrospective feel is one of renaissance, the musician reborn.

Ian McNabb does not walk this path alone, by his side are some of the city’s exciting talent, Dixie Day providing backing vocals and the exceptional Kate O’ Brien on strings giving the album its flourishing finish, as well as musicians from far and wide adding their tremendous appeal to the album,  such Ciaron Bell, Bobby Bilsborough, Tony McGuigan, Jason Falkner and Nick Kilroe, what comes across is that utopia is an outmoded relic of national attainment, but the Utopian is one we can, and must, all strive to be.

There can be no higher praise, an album so good that you have listened to it several times during the day and revelled in the journey with wonder and high spirits. In a career of highlights, Utopian is perhaps the pinnacle of work so far. Ian D. Hall