It seems like eons ago that Blabber’n’Smoke first became aware of Scott Ashworth, a singer songwriter currently residing somewhere around Falkirk who, over the past year or so has released a steady trickle of songs in a lengthy run up to this, his debut album. Singer songwriter perhaps does him an injustice as several of these songs were far removed from the solitary pose one expects from such a description. The first one we recall hearing was The Ghost, a fine slice of gothic Americana, peopled with, well ghosts, and accompanied by some superb spectral pedal steel and cavernous drumming. We liked it then and we still do, ensconced as it is in this very impressive album.
The album opens with the horn laden lament of I Never See Colour Again. Corkscrewed (and occasionally squalling) guitar is entwined within a New Orleans like slow procession creating a fine gumbo of a song. Over this hefty chunk of southern soul stew Ashworth proclaims himself a broken man, helpless at the hands of fate. A swirling organ introduces more misery in the Band like Pity Clown which features some extraordinary guitar playing on a song which sounds as if it were birthed in the famed Muscle Shoals studios as opposed to a rain swept central Scotland.
Throughout the album Ashworth displays a deep affinity with some of the best Americana music of the past few decades but he’s at his best when he’s delving into its heyday. Learning To Be Me glistens and chimes with echoes of Gene Clark’s masterpiece, No Other, while Running From Tomorrow also has a touch of Clark in its veins. You Can’t Break My Heart delves deep into the self misery which is essential to great country music while the band, and, especially here, the pedal steel playing (courtesy of Stephen Hicken Jr.) recall the cosmic country stylings of bands such as The New Riders Of The Purple Sage. A duet with Laura Begley on Sinking Silently is also redolent of classic country rock. Reining it in to just voice, acoustic and pedal steel guitar on the restrained Love Ain’t Around Anymore, Ashworth proves worthy of writing a song which envelopes a true sense of misery. Meanwhile, Happy Man (a true misnomer given its depths of despair) grinds and gyres with a heavy Crazy Horse vibe.
Overall, Ghosts And Broken Men is quite an impressive debut and the band (Barry Frame on lead, rhythm and bass guitars and piano, Dave Cantwell on Drums, Iain Donald on bass, Steven Hicken Jr on pedal steel guitar, John Elliott on lead guitar, Andrew Alston on piano, organ and harmonica, Laura Begley on vocals and Andrew Hooley, Damian Cook and Ben Cummings on horns) are to be congratulated for some exemplary playing. Ashworth meanwhile is more than capable of mining the depths of despair and displaying a true feel for the classic sounds of primetime country rock. His voice, slightly nasal, could perhaps do with some variance but, aside from that, Ashworth has certainly delivered the goods.
Blabber 'n' Smoke 