The
continual review comparisons with Tom Waits' vocals must get a bit
tedious for Bo - as he has very much his own distinctive voice,
powerful, passionate, occasionally poignant - and sounding steeped in
Scottish burr and best malt. A better comparison might be with the
lyrics which tend to occupy that dark ground on the edge of wry
bitterness, (a favourite camping site for Tom) where dark forces are
at work, mystery abounds, and devastated love and loss get the full
cynical works. Everywhere you look or listen there are dark streets
in the moonlight, tears in the rain and in the excellent title track
'Moon Over Indigo', final farewells.
Apart
from a Willie Dixon cover ('Same Thing') and the final track - a
spirited up-beat version of 'Who Do You Love', all the tracks are
written or part-written by Bo himself. This is where the album is at
its most telling and eloquent. When, surrounded by some huge
sympathetic arrangements, including some phenomenal wrap-around
backing vocals led by Kareña K and frequent cool and solid brass, Bo
delivers some unforgettable killer lyrics. One particular track,
'Jenny' a lament to someone lost, brings a voice of huge passion to a
sad story – and you would need a hard heart to resist a line like
“now that you've gone I can't say all the things I wanted to say to
you”...majestic.
One
of the best things about the musical arrangements on this album –
grateful thanks to Grammy award winning producer Danny Flam – is
how comfortably Bo's distinctive voice sits in the middle of all that
is going on. Different tracks get sometimes launched by a solid drum
beat, maybe a slide guitar or some sock-it-to-me brass with a dashing
trumpet solo – everyone gets to have good time – and it shows.
The ten tracks on the album are all refreshingly different and
effective in their own right but the lyrics and Bo's voice meld them
into a totally engaging story. The third album of 2015 and these guys
just go on pulling super-good stuff out of their magic music bag.
