For 20 years, Rod Stewart’s muse has seen him mining the songbooks of American composers rather than cultivating his own material.
But ‘Time’ finds the newly inspired artist penning his own songs again. And, given his creative hiatus, it naturally comes with mixed results.
What’s great are the slow, reflective numbers: ‘Brighton Beach’ is all acoustic guitars and ‘60s memories, and the Ray Charles country jazz of ‘Picture In A Frame’ is a standout.
The rockers that work are also memorable. ‘Live The Life’ possesses a ‘Maggie May’ fiddle, and the Faces-with-horns punch of ‘Finest Woman’ impresses. Also featured is the single 'It's Over' (video below).
Less successful are the more synth-heavy productions, and the track ‘Sexual Religion’ is as bad as its title suggests – but then, what’s a Rod album without a bit of smut?
Overall, it’s a hearty welcome back to one of Britain’s best-selling singers.
7/10
Words: Simon Harper
– – –
– – –
Get the best of Clash on your iPhone – download the app here