The very talented Paul Brady makes a welcome reappearance with his fifth solo release, Trick Or Treat (Mercury-Phonogram). Born in Strabane, County Tyrone, Brady has been through an unfair share of career disappointments in the past and has shown his mettle (non-heavy) by overcoming all adversity. To his credit, he has remained true to his craft and won the respect and support of his peers in the music industry. When he produces a new album, many interested heads are listening out for him.
Trick Or Treat, however, ranks somewhere below his best works, Back to the Centre (1986), True For You (1983) and his debut solo album, Hard Station (1981), which did not receive worthy exposure because of WEA’s uninspired decision against releasing it in the U.S.
It’s a comfortable listen with “Soul Child,” “Solid Love” and “Dreams Will Come,” particularly strong from the selection of ten original tracks. In addition to lead vocals, Brady plays acoustic and electric guitars, mandolin, piano, key-boards, tin whistle, drum programming, and percussion. Bonnie Raitt makes an excellent contribution on vocals with the title track and highly rated session percussionist. Jeff Porcaro also makes his presence felt.
But the overall feel of the album is a bit disappointing. Perhaps producer Gary Katz is too smooth, too neat for a performer who once remarked, “I don’t need fancy technology to tart up my work because I’m aspontaneous performer. ” Katz, who is best known for his fine work with the brilliant but less spontaneous Steely Dan, puts a gloss on Trick Or Treat that is technically perfect but just a little short of Brady’s familiar intensity. We want his “heart,” not his brain.
It’s even more untypical to have forgettable lyrics penned by a man who has established himself as a formidable songwriter adept at writing about pain heart-felt. Yet in Can’t Stop Wanting You, he sings verses that are, well, ten-a-penny:
“Now I know it’s a modern world And baby you’re a modern girl And I try to be tops at school Pickin’ up on these modern rules
Teacher come and teacher go
Teacher know when a boy is slow
This boy got a lot to learn I can’t stop wanting you I can’t stop wanting you
It’s a new kind of world For a boy and a girl
I can’t stop wanting you …”
For a popster, this isn’t bad; for Paul Brady, it is. He describes this selection as “modern rock music that explores the human condition.” Well, exploring is one thing, finding is another.
“I’ve been a big fan of pop music,” he continues, “it’s gotten bad press. I happen to think it’s the highest form of music. If you can strike a chord with people musically and emotionally in three minutes, in a way that makes them go “Wow,” well then, that’s a pretty high calling.”
The former folk hero as a pop star?
Hardly his calling—it’s no coincidence that the longer tracks are stronger on this release.
So it’s an album that would adorn any coffee table collection. The artwork on the cover, with Brady pictured uncannily like coffee table icon Steve Winwood’s Back in the High Life, does, unfortunately, suggest the general tenor of Trick Or Treat.
But Brady doesn’t belong in the middle of the Road. The ex-Planxty man has much more to offer with his personal blend of folk and rock. Not that there’s any need to make a case for him—his songs have been enthusiastically recorded by Carlos Santana, Dave Edmunds and Tina Turner.
Eric Clapton and Mark Knopfler joined him on Back to the Centre and in one of his best supporting quotes, Bob Dylan described Brady as “one of the few musicians worth getting out of bed in the morning for, “(which is what Dylan seemed to do at the Grammy Awards this year).
For Brady’s many loyal fans, any and all of his works will be greeted into the collection. Trick Or Treat will too, but less for what it offers than for what it says is yet to come.
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in the May 1991 issue of Irish America. ♦
Leave a Reply