Spring and Fall
Australia\'s beloved singer/songwriter Paul Kelly has fashioned a song cycle meant to be played from start to finish, like albums such as Van Morrison\'s *Veedon Fleece* and John Cale\'s *Paris 1919*. It\'s the story of love in all its different phases; it can be touching or brutal, but it\'s always honest. It might initially be shocking to hear such a mild-mannered tune as \"Someone New\" start with the lines \"I just want to sleep with someone new/someone I have never met/knowing it\'s a foolish thing to do.\" The orchestration builds, and the song turns into a decadent rapture. \"Time and Tide\" turns a touch fatalistic, with bare instrumentation adding an uneasy sense of tension. \"Sometimes My Baby\" sings sweetly—complete with jaw harp—until one listens to the nuance in the words. \"None of Your Business Now\" chronicles the scorched-earth reality after love goes south. This understated, largely acoustic album is yet another fine album from an artist who deserves much greater attention in the States. It\'s time to play catch-up.
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Like other sensitive hard rockers from the past, such as Nick Lowe and Graham Packer, Paul Kelly has mellowed without losing his vitriol.