Album review: JOEY MOLLAND – Be True To Yourself

Omnivore Recordings [Release date 16.10.20]

As the sole surviving member of the classic line-up of Badfinger, Joey Molland’s pedigree in power pop circles is second to none. Over the years he has regularly produced solo albums, notably “After The Pearl” and “The Pilgrim”. He now teams up with producer and co-writer Mark Hudson to deliver a fine new record.

The crack hot team of musicians includes drummer Steve Holley (Wings, Ian Hunter), Jason Scheff (Chicago), Micky Dolenz and Julian Lennon. Hudson himself collaborated with Ringo Starr for a decade, and the opening number ‘This Time’ sounds like it was tailor made for Ringo. A catchy, melodic track, it sets the tone for a classic sounding album – albeit one with a distinct contemporary production.

‘Better Tomorrow’ has a positive vibe and, along with ‘I Don’t Wanna Be Done With You’, has a similar feel to some of Joey’s contributions to the underrated later Badfinger albums “Airwaves” and “Say No More”.

The harmony-drenched ‘Rainy Day Man’ is a gem of a tune, while ‘Heaven’ is a Beatle-esque ballad. Joey was, of course, signed to the Apple label with Badfinger, and also played on the “All Things Must Pass” and “Imagine” albums, so his Beatles connections couldn’t be any more authentic!

There’s a subtle nod to Badfinger’s ‘No Matter What’ with the “ooh girl” refrain in ‘All I Want To Do’, while the epic tour de force of the title track is the perfect album closer.

I can’t imagine any fan of Badfinger or Joey’s previous albums being anything other than impressed with this, and at 73 years old it’s possibly the finest solo record that he has made. Ten tracks of quality power pop and melodic rock; if only Paul McCartney was still making albums as good as this! ****

Review by Jim Henderson

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Power Plays w/c 28 October 2024

THE RASMUS Rest In Pieces (Better Noise Music)
THE PLAGUE What Else Can I Do (FiXT)
STAR CIRCUS Turn The Tide (indie)
DEFENCES Breathe It In (Long Branch Records)

Featured Albums w/c 28 October 2024

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Singer Songwriter)