Martin Carr never seemed to enjoy being a pop star. After his band The Boo
Radleys belatedly hit the big time with ‘Wake Up Boo!’ in 1995, he spent the remaining four years of the band’s tenure reacting against it and, following their demise, released six increasingly oblique albums as Bravecaptain. Now, he releases his first solo album proper, and it’s a very warm, human record that mixes folky, acoustic laments and fizzing electronics with lyrics about youth (‘Goldrush ‘49’) and the passing of time (‘Bear Lake’). Essentially, it’s a pop album and opener ‘The Dead Of Winter’ even returns to ‘Wake Up Boo!’’s galloping beat and trumpets. Clearly Carr has come to terms with what he is: one of our finest songwriters.
Nathaniel Cramp