Album of the Year: Beady Belle – Cricklewood Broadway (Jazzland Recordings 2013)

Forsaking the folk/country experiments of recent albums, Beady Belle returns with a fascinating concept album, based on Zadie Smith’s novel White Teeth. Here, the Norwegian electronic jazz poppers have managed to devolve their music, returning back to some of the sounds heard on their first three LPs, whilst breathing new life into it too.

‘Saved’ opens the proceedings with flavours of Stevie Wonder, with its wonderfully flatulent, super funky Clavinet bass in the low down verse, rising into a middle-8 before the soaring chorus, while ‘So Far So Good’ follows with wah-wah keyboard and life affirming synth strings before the jolly East African riff and lushly layered vocal harmony of ‘Circlet’.

Beady Belle continue with more great varied tracks like ‘Faith’, ‘Song For Irie’ and ‘Party-Pooper’ until an interesting focal point in the second half, ‘My Name On The World’, hypnotising listeners in its Eastern wail, reflecting the Asian theme running through Smith’s novel.

The album winds down with three slower songs including the down-tempo ‘Every Moment’, with oldschool snare beats and satisfying bassy wobble. The only track that doesn’t fit sonically is penultimate number ‘Poppy Burt-Jones’, but it’s a minor glitch. The album ends on a high note with ‘Half-Truth’, featuring a classic soul/country chorus, not unlike a classic ballad by Ray Charles.

Packed full of melody and atmosphere, the album is a real pleasure to listen to, regardless whether you’ve read White Teeth itself. Cricklewood Broadway is right on the money.

Album rating: ****

 

Beady Belle discography:
Home (Jazzland Recordings, 2001)
Cewbeagappic (Jazzland Recordings, 2003)
Closer (Jazzland Recordings, 2005)
Belvedere (Jazzland Recordings, 2008)
At Welding Bridge (Jazzland Recordings, 2010)
Crickelwood Broadway (Jazzland Recordings, 2013)