This Is My Kingdom Now |
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Released: May 12, 2017 Peak: 54 UK Sales (in millions): -- US, -- UK, -- world (includes US and UK) Genre: adult alternative rock |
Tracks: Song Title [time] (date of single release, chart peaks) Click for codes to singles charts.
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Rating:  2.669 out of 5.00 (average of 8 ratings)
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About the Album: “Justin Currie has ploughed a pretty deep furrow since disbanding Del Amitri,” AU enjoying “a small but very dedicated fanbase which lap up his razor sharp observations couched in melodies that lesser songwriters would dream of imagining.” AU “It’s easy to understand why he continues to garner admiration from legends such as Jimmy Webb – he is the songwriter’s songwriter” BSM and This Is My Kingdom Now, his fourth solo outing, “is more proof that he is songwriting royalty.” BSM The album “fits perfectly” AU alongside his “back catalogue of genuine pop classics laced with his black humour.” AU “He has picked up from where he left off with Lower Reaches by perfecting the balance between the light and dark – not only in individual songs but also through the duration of the album.” BSM This is his “most accessible solo album for a wider audience” BSM “with catchy melodies and tight arrangements.” “The short but sweet My Name Is God…[finds] Currie proclaiming ‘I don’t need anyone.’ The acoustic introspection combined with the thrill of Currie’s enthralling voice is the musical equivalent of the warmth and familiarity of a homecoming.” BSM “Fallen Trees is Currie at his observational best – never failing to relate to other’s inadequacies – while the asynchronous beat and guitar on the first single and title track…create a more unsettled and darker feeling” BSM “with its repeated affirmation just hiding the unspoken contempt in Currie’s polemic.” AU The “wistful Americana of Crybabies” BSM “features a gorgeous hook and heartbreaking lyric.” AU “The lyrics hint of the relationship between Currie and his father – former RSNO chorus master John Currie – although it’s always difficult to determine whether he is being autobiographical. Either way, it’s lyrical perfection.” BSM “Failing to See is one of the more upbeat tracks on the album. Over a funky retro groove, that belongs on the dance floor at the end of a disco, Currie questions ‘Is this what falling in love is aiming to be?’” BSM It features “a glorious 70’s guitar motif, and The Dead Sea sounds as if Pete Bruntnell has been in touch with its spiky guitar, harmonies and driving rhythm.” AU “Hey Polly is another uptempo song – this time a quirkier number with Currie singing in his sharpest vocals ‘get your claws round here today.’” BSM “Sydney Harbour Bridge is fuelled by regret and features a neat shift from singing that there’s ‘nothing I can do’ into a ridiculously catchy chorus of ‘do do do.’ It’s yet another example of Currie’s ability to fuse heartbreak to a cheerier tune.” BSM “Throughout it all Currie’s voice brings such assurance and depth to each lyric. At its best it imbues real heartbreak and melancholy.” AU I’ll Leave It to You sports an “opening riff is reminiscent of The Faces and – like all Currie’s best tracks do – it tugs…heart strings through the deftest combination of melody, lyrics and his incredible voice.” BSM “Two People is equally dramatic, but with a stripped-back drone sound that eerily lurks behind Currie’s echoing vocals. It almost has a choral quality and is beautiful in its starkness.” BSM “The brooding I Love the Sea” BSM “features a growling guitar above the thunderous piano melody.” BSM “The connection with water and bad weather that seems ever-present in Currie’s songwriting” BSM shows through on that song as well as the “the rockier The Dead Sea.” BSM “Swirling keys and guitar brings the warmth into…[My Soul Is Stolen] where Currie seems to reflect on his craft – ‘Look into my throat, whoever’s singing isn’t me. Cos I’m a prisoner of who all you listeners might be.’ It’s a song that ends too quickly and leaves you wanting more – making it a perfect album closer.” BSM |
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First posted 5/14/2021; last updated 8/24/2021. |
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