{"id":17249,"date":"2021-11-29T05:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-11-29T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/?p=17249"},"modified":"2021-11-25T22:10:25","modified_gmt":"2021-11-25T22:10:25","slug":"dan-sartain-arise-dan-sartain-arise-o-l-i-records","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/?p=17249","title":{"rendered":"Dan Sartain – \u2018Arise, Dan Sartain, Arise!\u2019 (O.L.I Records)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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A posthumous album is always going to be a double-edged thing. The artist\u2019s death affects us, the listener, but the harsher reality is a wife without her husband, a daughter who will grow up without her dad. For that, I am truly sorry. Dan\u2019s family wanted this album to be released, I believe it was already finished, with one video recorded for \u2018People Throwing Stones In Glass Houses\u2019. As such, it is a fitting tribute and document of a prodigiously talented songwriter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thirteen songs, starting with the ominously titled \u2018You Can\u2019t Go Home No More\u2019, we\u2019re in the guitar-led territory of \u2018Join\u2019 and \u2018Dan Sartain Lives\u2019. Simple, angular riffs with the trademark melody lines, somewhere between Link Wray and Poison Ivy. If that\u2019s your bag, but you haven\u2019t heard Dan before, this is your place to start.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I Heard Laughing\u2019 could almost be Buddy Holly, both in rhythm and vocal tone. \u2018Kisses In The Morning\u2019 evokes Sun-era Elvis, simple but beautiful, ragged at the edges. As the sleeve notes state, it\u2019s not a return to form, because Sartain never lost his form, merely tried a variety of styles, from pared-back rock n roll to electro. His songwriting always shone through.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018True Love\u2019 would be perfect for Ramones, complete with backing vocals. \u2018My Best Fit\u2019 is a love song to his hometown, Birmingham, Alabama. \u2018Fires And Floods\u2019 has that addictive, staccato way he had of playing. Even with a drum machine, it sounds more \u2018organic\u2019 than Jack White could ever hope to be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Dumb Friends\u2019 shares some DNA with The Urban Voodoo Machine, dripping reverb and a slinky menace. \u2018Foreman Grill\u2019 extols the virtues of the George Foreman grill. No, really. \u2018Personal Injury Law\u2019 adds some nicely wonky keyboards to the mix, while \u2018Daddy\u2019s Coming Home\u2019 can\u2019t help but bring a tear to the eye, regardless of the upbeat tune and handclaps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With his roots in the 50s, yet remaining adventurous throughout his career, Dan Sartain was, for me, one of the best songwriters of his generation, a stylish dude, and a one-off. You are sorely missed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Buy Here<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Author: Martin Chamarette<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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