John Fiddler chatted to Pete Feenstra about the album ‘Heartwork’ First broadcast on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio, Sunday 18 February.
Living Room Records (digital) Talking Elephant (CD) [Release date : 23.02.24]
John Fiddler’s Medicine Head enjoyed a merited comeback with 2023’s ‘Warriors Of Love’, his first album for 10 years. ‘Heartwork’ continues his renaissance, with an album that has love as its central concept and Americana, the blues and deep grooves as its musical backbone.
His exploration of love is akin to John Lennon in the way he digs deep to express the many facets of his chosen subject, best exemplified by the chorus of ‘Its All About The Love’.
“It’s all about the love, its all about the feeling, its all about the love, its all about the healing.”
The album is self produced, engineered and mixed, by a multi instrumentalist with a delightful lightness of touch which he uses to underpin the songs strengths rather than load them with Nashville clichés.
He opens with ‘Makin Up For Lost Love’, which after an exclamatory opening slips into a percussive groove given its substance by his own heartfelt vocal. He’s admirably matched by Belinda Campbell’s gospel accompaniment, while Bucket Colwell’s tension building squalls and solo is the icing on a very rich cake.
‘Heartwork’ is actually a better album than ‘Warriors of Love’ because the songs are more consistent and hang together naturally to support the central theme, the exploration of love.
And just when you think he’s exhausted his possibilities, he gives us the closing and very evocative ‘Ridin’ In My Car’ a Jackson Brown and David Lindley influenced track, but uniquely fashioned by Fiddler’s summery narrative which floats above an exquisite solo from Dzal Martin.
The ‘Heartwork’ title fits the album perfectly, as he frequently sounds as if he’s pouring out his inner soul on a reflective album.
He uses the same personnel as on his last album, particularly the multi- instrumental talents of Dzal Martin who colours the album with sundry tones and solos, while Belinda Campbell’s frequent gospel bv’s and potent ‘call and response’ sequences provide the perfect foil for Fiddler’s own raspy, but expressive tenor.
It’s a laid back roots-rock album that frequently evokes Bob Dylan in term of arrangements, lyrics and vocal phrasing. Fiddler also wisely leans on Mark Knopfler’s ‘less is more’ approach on 10 tracks that allow lyrical meaning and musical feel to flourish, while the tones wash over you, and the oft repeated hooks linger in the memory.
On ‘Alibi’ for example, there’s a lovely percussive snap to frame his up-in-the-mix Dylan style phrasing. The song is carried by Belinda Campbell’s hypnotic ‘Ooh Sha la la ooh’ line and Dzal’s tremolo sounding guitar.
When the album dips into country andAmericanaon the pedal steel layered ‘Love Is Not A Dream’, he takes a ragged Neil Young approach, though his deliberately weathered vocal adds grit to his dark dreamy lyrics: “I’ve been livin’ on death row, Might as well be so, I waited and waited on a long lonely ride. And when they came to collect me, They realised I had already died.”
He gets meditative on ‘Everybody Has The Blues (Sometimes)’, which has another repeated gospel hook that buries deep in our subconscious.
He’s also adept at conjuring up simple, but memorable phrases such as on the title of ‘Get Your Hands In The Air’, complete with a repeated dobro riff, programmed percussion, lovely bv’s and a mantra style repeated hook on a very atmospheric track.
‘Heartfelt is a meticulously crafted album, but with just enough edge to capture an essential spark.
On the very catchy lead single ‘Living in a Bubble’, he double-tracks the vocals over a subtle reggae arrangement punctuated by cymbal crashes, his own intricate guitar playing and humorous lyrics: “You got your password, you got your pin, if you lose ‘em the ice gets thin.”
‘Gotta Hold On’ might be Americana, but for the strong arrangement, and Dylan style phrasing and narrative: “Saw you on the door of the boat, spendin’ all day long, in your pink housecoat.” And also:“We started talkin’, ‘Bout original sin and what a mess we got in, Holy water and a case of wine, I closed my eyes and I saw the prize.”
His expressive phrasing is offset by cool harmony bv’s which lead to a repeated hypnotic hook.
There’s a lovely flow to the album evidenced by the way ‘It’s All About The Love’ is nicely counterweighted by the jingle-jangle of ‘Blue Eyes’.
He bookends the album with the afore mentioned highlight ‘Ridin’ In My Car’, a final meditation on love with the kind of feel good summer song that should have wide appeal.
‘Heartwork’ is an absolute delight. It’s full of deeply wrought song craft, moments of inspired interplay and real creativity, and is an essential roots rock purchase. *****
Review by Pete Feenstra
Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK
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In 2023 he signed a recording deal with Sony in Canada and released a new single on 15 September.
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UK Blues Broadcaster of the Year (2020 and 2021 Finalist) Pete Feenstra presents his weekly Rock & Blues Show on Tuesday at 19:00 GMT as part of a five hour blues rock marathon “Tuesday is Bluesday at GRTR!”. The show is repeated on Wednesdays at 22:00, Fridays at 20:00). This show was first broadcast 9 April 2024.
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