Dear Scott

Album review

After years in the wilderness, Adiós Señor Pussycat was a bracing return to form for Michael Head that reaffirmed his position as one of the great underrated songwriters of his era. It hearkened back to his days with Shack, while also dialing down the sonic reach and aiming for something a bit more intimate and autumnal. The long gap between that album's release and 2022's Dear Scott didn't prompt any drastic musical changes, as he's still plying his trade with consummate skill, blending classic folk-rock jangle, majestic trad rock arrangements, and the unsparing tenderness of a singer/songwriter who knows exactly what he's doing. Working with the Red Elastic band again, along with producer Bill Ryder-Jones, the sound of Dear Scott is a little more expansive with strings and horns on almost every song. These elements aren't used to bludgeon the listener with huge emotions, they are used more as additional colors to help fill in the background of the jangle and strum of the core band. It leads to some very pretty-sounding songs. "The Next Day" has a sweet lilt that's made cinematic by the swooping strings and trilling flutes that are smeared across the background, and the first half of "Fluke" shimmers and flickers like an outdoor symphony lit by fireflies. Even when the orchestral backing comes to the fore, it's in service of the song and mood, not just added on to be fancy. See "Grass" for an example of how Head and Ryder-Jones pull off this not-so-easy-to-manage trick. On the flipside, the songs that are left mostly bare come across just as nicely. "American Kid" is wonderfully free and easy, sounding like classic Shack but with one-third of the effort put into it. The album's lyrics are familiar to fans of Head's work as they detail the small moments of life and love, though this time he uses the career of F. Scott Fitzgerald as occasional inspiration. Hearing references to characters from his books that aren't the Great Gatsby will give literary buffs an extra thrill. When Head came back with Adiós Señor Pussycat it felt like a small miracle. That Dear Scott expands and improves on the sound and feel of that album only makes the whole situation sweeter. Not only is it nice for long-time fans of his work, it gives those looking for someone making these kinds of desperately beautiful, painfully human songs a new artist to discover and love.

© Tim Sendra /TiVo