Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
The delight of the pun is not missed, the upbeat tempo that spices up the air around the senses is enjoyed, and the craft that Soul Asylum place in detail as their new album, Slowly But Shirley, spins its own delicacy of allusion and frantic joy, is to admired, and with a gust of rapid musical precision the listener is thrown head first in to a groove of refuge and sanctuary that is a haven against a world possessed as it is in fury and madness.
As Soul Asylum once more team up Steve Jordan, the resulting overall picture is one of a vivacious and uncontained, uncontaminated, livelihood and imagination.
In the assured swagger of interaction between band and fan Slowly But Shirley has a heartbeat of a new observation deeply woven throughout the album; the fierceness of old remains, the captivation that brought the band into the wider public’s eye, but there is an animation of spirit that feels novel, an effervescence that a narrative angle has been explored and placed subtly within the text…it feels exciting, and as the courage of the listen takes hold, so does the reward the aural sensation places upon the soul of one feeling the groove.
Tracks such as High Road, Freak Accident, Waiting On The Lord, Trail By Fire, and Sucker Maker all combine in a show of speed, of high drama and working class credentials of a heroic gesture and completion to the cause; and one that Dave Pirner, Michael Bland, Ryan Smith, and Jeremy Tappero all offer with sincerity of spirit and deserving praise.
Songwriting is not easy, some make it look so as their overall talent cuts short the examination of their craft; but few exercise the beast, the patience to tap into the truth of poetry with each word, the gift of language when placed against the cymbal and the guitar as well as Dave Pirner; in his elegance he conjures up a narrative that the musicianship responds to with sublime cool. This is evident once again as Slowly But Shirley plays out over the airwaves.
A great return for an underrated band this side of the Atlantic, a groove of positive innovation and glory.
Soul Asylum release Slowly But Shirley on September 27th. Ian D. Hall