I don't know if it's the lack of major touring after the release of Dig my Mood but it took Lowe only 3 years to write, record and release The Convincer. The cover shot for the album is absolutely great (a kind of "still the Jesus of Cool" vibe emanates from it). As said in the previous part Lowe has now firmly established a pattern in which he makes his records. He hones the songs in his rehearsal space in Brentford till he knows them inside out (same process for the songs he decides to cover), then he proceeds to record them with his regular band and producer/sound man Neil Brockbank. Lowe often explains in interviews that he's not a very prolific songwriter and that he doesn't accumulate songs for albums and record them all in one go. He has to write a batch of 3 or 4 that he really considers good, records them and in return this process gives him the drive to write the rest of the songs to complete the record (The Convincer was recorded over a period of one year in different studios in London). As on Dig My Mood most of the songs deal with pain and heartbreak but there's the odd glimpse of light (the fantastic ode to new found love "She's got soul").
As usual the arrangements are top notch with just the
right amount of little additional flourishes that enhance the songs but
never distract the listener. Particularly impressive in that domain is
"Cupid Must be Angry" (strategically placed after "She's Got Soul") with
its clever use of strings and horns, "Homewrecker" with
nice organ work courtesy of the "ever-soulful" Geraint Watkins. A few
tracks on the LP have become staples of Lowe's live shows, "Lately I've
Let Things Slide" which boasts one of his finest set of lyrics, the folk
number "Indian Queens" (there's an excellent video of him explaining
the meaning of it on you tube) and "Has she got a friend", a distant cousin
from 1983's "Without Love" that features some great guitar parts from
Steve Donnelly.
If The Convincer had come relatively quick after Dig My Mood, it took Lowe twice as much time to release it's follow-up "At My Age". Due to a series of events in Lowe's life, it was recorded in dribs and drabs. Far from suffering from it, the record feels incredibly cohesive. The mood is a little lighter than on the two previous efforts. Even the songs that treat about lost love do it in a cheerful way ("The Club", the cover "A man in Love"). The tunes are more about reminiscing than regretting. After doing an "anti-macho" song with "All Men Are Liars" on Pinker and Prouder than Previous, he does a tongue-in-cheek "pro-macho" one with "I Trained Her To Love Me" (co-written with long time drummer Robert Treherne). The album is just so consistent, there's no particular stand out tracks, all the Lowe originals are perfectly crafted vignettes with just the amount of words, chords and arrangements. If I was strapped to a chair and tortured, I might go for "Long Limbed Girl" but picking a favourite out of such a batch of good songs is tough. This record is a special one for me because it's the one that made me discover Nick Lowe. I liked it so much that as soon as I saw he was touring Europe I booked a ticket to go and see him play in Madrid at a venue called The Riviera (located surprisingly not far from a river). I spent a huge amount of time trying to find the venue (Spain doesn't do signposting for rock venues, more on that later...). I finally managed to find it (i'd been going past it half a dozen times over the last hour) to see just a few folks queuing for the ticket when the gig was due to start in less than half an hour. I was beginning to wonder if anybody was going to turn up when suddenly one thousand folks materialized behind me in the space of fifteen minutes. The gig was everything I hoped it to be and more. Nick opened with a few acoustic numbers on his own and was joined by his band for the rest the show. The audience was a bit boisterous which ruined some of the quieter songs ("You Inspire Me") but were enthusiastic enough to entice Nick to play a few extra acoustic numbers at the end ("Seven Nights To Rock" and "Heart Of The City"). If you want to check out what Nick is like live, I would recommended his Live at St Lukes show that was recorded for BBC4 (it's on you tube) or the extra DVD on the Quiet Please Best Of that includes a recording of a full band show at The Ancienne Belgique in Brussels.
If The Convincer had come relatively quick after Dig My Mood, it took Lowe twice as much time to release it's follow-up "At My Age". Due to a series of events in Lowe's life, it was recorded in dribs and drabs. Far from suffering from it, the record feels incredibly cohesive. The mood is a little lighter than on the two previous efforts. Even the songs that treat about lost love do it in a cheerful way ("The Club", the cover "A man in Love"). The tunes are more about reminiscing than regretting. After doing an "anti-macho" song with "All Men Are Liars" on Pinker and Prouder than Previous, he does a tongue-in-cheek "pro-macho" one with "I Trained Her To Love Me" (co-written with long time drummer Robert Treherne). The album is just so consistent, there's no particular stand out tracks, all the Lowe originals are perfectly crafted vignettes with just the amount of words, chords and arrangements. If I was strapped to a chair and tortured, I might go for "Long Limbed Girl" but picking a favourite out of such a batch of good songs is tough. This record is a special one for me because it's the one that made me discover Nick Lowe. I liked it so much that as soon as I saw he was touring Europe I booked a ticket to go and see him play in Madrid at a venue called The Riviera (located surprisingly not far from a river). I spent a huge amount of time trying to find the venue (Spain doesn't do signposting for rock venues, more on that later...). I finally managed to find it (i'd been going past it half a dozen times over the last hour) to see just a few folks queuing for the ticket when the gig was due to start in less than half an hour. I was beginning to wonder if anybody was going to turn up when suddenly one thousand folks materialized behind me in the space of fifteen minutes. The gig was everything I hoped it to be and more. Nick opened with a few acoustic numbers on his own and was joined by his band for the rest the show. The audience was a bit boisterous which ruined some of the quieter songs ("You Inspire Me") but were enthusiastic enough to entice Nick to play a few extra acoustic numbers at the end ("Seven Nights To Rock" and "Heart Of The City"). If you want to check out what Nick is like live, I would recommended his Live at St Lukes show that was recorded for BBC4 (it's on you tube) or the extra DVD on the Quiet Please Best Of that includes a recording of a full band show at The Ancienne Belgique in Brussels.
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