Whatever you think of Katrina & the Waves, lead wave Kimberley Rew blows “Walking on Sunshine” out of your pop-stuck skill with “Phoenixstowe,” a raucous, guitar-fueled start to Essex Hideaway, Rew’s fourth and newest solo effort. Rew shares a Beatles-centered eclecticism with his former Soft Boys bandmate, Robyn Hitchcock. “Jerome K Jerome” takes on a Beatles rockabilly, much like the Smithereens, while the talky bits (and odd stories) match up with Hitchcock (see also Spearmint). Comparisons to 60’s Kinks are bandied about, although a fair amount of the Who whimsy combined with just enough Classic Rock guitar are here too. “That’s Soft Boy,” a nod to the former band, begins with a bass-dredging guitar line that is clearly a Classic Rock riff.
However, it’s the eclecticism that centers this album—wide-ranging sounds are the map to Rew’s musical territory. “Short, Smart Haircut” is rollicking ragtime, a nice companion piece to Too Much Joy’s “Long-haired Guys from England.” With a story about Christopher Robin losing the 100 Acre Wood to the expanding “Arterial Road,” it’s a song with the traditional form of Irish/Scottish folk in the style of Martin Simpson. “That’s Soft Boy” could have been an alternate song for Dick Van Dyke to sing in Mary Poppins.
The album is nicely bookended by a hymn, “Bless This Album,” recorded with organ and choir at St. Bartholomew’s Church, Great Gransden, England. “Bless this album, bless the band/Bless us all that you can stand/Drums, bass, engineer, and friends/Guide us safe to album’s end.” Peter Mayer took a traditional hymn and transformed it into a sincere folk song, but this is much more of a tongue-in-cheek affair, although having heard the results, it seems the prayers were answered. Essex Hideaway is a blessed good album.
Thanks to Kimberley Rew and Bongo Beat Records for the review copy.
