Conquest Music [Release date : 13.12.24]

Described by The Guardian as “a quietly but profoundly influential figure in British pop music”, much of Micky Jupp’s influence has come via his songs being covered by the likes of Dave Edmunds, The Judds, Nick Lowe, Ricky Nelson, Dr Feelgood, Elkie Brooks, Roger Chapman etc, rather than his own solo success.

And almost in spite of himself (he effectively dropped out of the music “biz” 4 decades ago), the flame still burns bright, though it apparently took a lot of prompting by his Conquest Music label to bring him back into the public spotlight.

In fact, he never stopped writing, and ‘Times Like These’ is the third volume of home recordings gathered under the umbrella of The Boot Legacy’.

And home recordings are exactly what we get, in a minimalist approach which comprises Micky on piano and guitar on 13 solo efforts and 2 band outings.

And if some fans might hanker after the band arrangements to be found on the humorous ‘Function To Function’ or the hip shuffling,  honky-tonk of ‘You Bring Out The Blue In Me’, the sparser numbers do have the benefit of focussing on his evocative voice.

He’s a master of phrasing and timing with a bluesy behind the beat style. This allows him to deliver a great line with the intended emphasis and perfect diction.

The combination of his lived in voice and well crafted lyrics also gives the album a feeling of familiarity

He very much lives the part of the title of his 1978 Stiff records release ‘Old Rock ‘N’ Roller’, but with a feel and versatility that owes equal parts to say JJ Cale and Hank Williams.

The JJ Cale rhythmical influence pops up on the title track, on which a strummed acoustic underpins inimitable wordsmithery, on lines like; “out of the woods into the trees, trouble to trouble with the greatest of ease.”

Then there’s the understated ‘Baby Love’ and the clickety-clack and percussive snap of ‘The Impression’, which also nuances Hank Williams style phrasing.

The latter looms large on the wonderful ‘The Right Room’, on which his slighlty more trembly voice brings extra emphasis to an emotion in the priceless line: ”the blues were designed with little old me in mind, close but no cigar”.

Hank would surely have chuckled.

Jupp’s songs are shot through with humour, irony and reflection, while on the wistful and Hawaiian guitar sounding ‘Don’t Say Nothing At All’, he combines Williams phrasing with  Everly Brothers style harmonies on the hook.

And as he veers into country on ‘You Wouldn’t Know A True Love’, his phrasing moves from Hank Williams to Johnny Cash, while there’s a whiff of Nashville intent on the other country outing ‘I Very Very Know’.

He cleverly pays home to ‘I Cant Stand The Rain’ motif on the subtle word plays of ‘Love You For A Living’.

The couplet on the chorus alone is worth dwelling on: “I could love you for a livin, here I am living on the loving that you’re giving me.” 

His arrangements always support lyrical intent as evidenced by the way he fattens a vocal line to further underpin an emotion or an exclamatory line.

And while the brush stroked shuffle of ‘Doctored’ might be a distant reworking of his self penned Dr. Feelgood classic ‘Down at the Doctors’, he saves his most blatant musical autobiographical reference for ‘Honky Tonic’.

The Leon Redbone style shuffle makes use of an immediate one-line hook, and lyrics which seemingly sum up his live music aspirations, or otherwise: “Somewhere there’s got to be a little ol’ bar with a little piano and a lot of guitar.”

The use of the comparisons above is probably due to the fact that Jupp’s music never reinvented the wheel. Rather it’s his ability as an inward looking observational storyteller with subtle use of metaphor, irony and humour that has consistently infused his beloved rock and roll and roots music with an evolving identity.

He closes with the contemplative shuffle ‘Wrong Food’, the sort of song that draws you in, much like the album does as a whole

In sum, ‘Times Like These’  is something of an ambivalent title, because you can’t help but feel that if this extraordinary octogenarian were to make it to a full century of years, he will surely still be churning out the same intricately woven songs with a timeless and at times universal appeal. ****

Review by Pete Feenstra

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Power Plays w/c 9 December 2024

In this sequence we play ‘The Best of 2024′ GRTR! reviewer selections

Featured Albums w/c 9 December 2024

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2024 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2024 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2024 (Singer Songwriter)

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