Words by:
Dan Bull
The majority of us last saw Gary Barlow’s solo performance on Sunday’s The X Factor, following his stint as the country’s most in-demand concert organiser (breathing new life into both Children In Need and, at the opposite end of the scale, the Royal Family), and before that as a member of Take That on the record breaking Progress tour, and the critically acclaimed album of the same name.
Of course, that’s not the ‘last’ implied from the album’s title; a reference to Barlow’s previous full-length solo LP (1999’s #35-peaking Twelve Months, Eleven Days), his last for fourteen years, which was followed by depression, seclusion and guaranteed inclusion in Robbie Williams’ between-songs-banter on huge, sold-out tours. Over a decade’s worth of material then, which may have been too personal for the three Take That albums since their return, or last years #1 Jubilee EP, Sing.
As if to highlight how much time has passed; opener Requiem, a Paul McCartney-influenced jaunty piano number from the point of view of somebody who has died, is written with Williams. Although not an obvious subject for track one, it’s an uplifting, quirky number, highlighted with real-life references in the spirit of the former Beatle. “I really love it that you came here to remember, and look we made the News At Ten.”
While his style has always been more Elton than Macca, Small Town Girls follows the blueprints of Paul’s more recent releases; simple folk-influenced guitar and banjo lending themselves to quintessential lyrics. It’s ‘nice’, but considering Paul has a few years on Gary, diehard fans who have had the patience to wait this long might be hoping for something more in the style of, well, Take That’s Patience.
The Elton John-featuring Face To Face is one of the few upbeat moments, harking back to some of the spectacled one’s 70s classics. A driving piano rhythm with an injection of strings for the chorus, it’s nothing groundbreaking, but surprising that it’s taken this long for the two to duet. (The last time they appeared on a track together, Barlow joined Rick Astley and Kiki Dee to provide backing vocals for Can You Feel The Love Tonight.)
6th Avenue, a co-write with Take That’s Beautiful World and The Circus producer John Shanks – sticks with the standard Elton style, but again in a more reflective manner; a few times removed from the Gary Barlow you might have seen riding a giant robot through a stadium. Ultimately it gives the expected conclusion that Gary was more comfortable with the more organic approach to their two albums before Progress, resulting in this retreat to his comfort zone.
Whilst the Mumford-esque Let Me Go might not have been the piano-lead ballad expected from the new, improved Barlow, it’s an upbeat, inoffensive track, clearly marketed at Radio 2 rather than 1 – sparing himself the embarrassment of being rejected a la Robbie. Keane’s Tim Rice-Oxley collaborates on the inspirational Jump, which you can expect to hear in the background of one of The X Factor’s “best bits” next year.
Unfortunately, there are moments when the tracks become forgettable, blending into each other whilst Barlow sings about his ‘nice abode’ (This House), family (More Than Life), time out of the limelight (title track Since I Saw You Last) and listing who love is for (We Like To Love). Each also features questionable lyric choices that make the listener wonder, ‘What could Mark have suggested instead?’ (See More Than Life‘s, “It’s a fun ride fair…”).
Order is restored on the heartbreaking Dying Inside; a softer, more broken vocal than the listener is used to, which appear to detail his emotional state following the loss of daughter Poppy, who was stillborn just days before he appeared with Take That at the Olympic closing ceremony. Too personal for a Take That collection; it’s honest stories like this which make Barlow’s solo recordings a necessity alongside the brash, entertainment of Robbie.
While comparison between the two, and with the unpredictably solid Take That albums, are inevitable, it’s clear that the break-dancing, wall-climbing, stadium-filling show cannot go on forever. Following his long-overdue break, Since I Saw You Last is evidence that, while not as exciting as his band’s work, Barlow and his piano stool should be around for some time.
Since I Saw You Last is out now; hit the iTunes link below to buy.
