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Stuart Staples
 Somerset House/Marseilles Sunshine/Say Something Now/Friday Night/Shame On You/Untitled/Dark Days/People Fall Down/She Don’t Have To Be Good To Me/I’ve Come A Long Way It was always just goning to be a matter of time before Tindersticks front man, Stuart Staples released his own solo material. Several other band members have already done their own thing and Staples was always such a unique figure, possessing such a talent, it seemed obvious that he would break free and do his own project at some point. Staples voice was such a strong driving force behind the band that at first listen, there isn’t too much of a departure between this album and Tindersticks albums. But there are differences. This is staples on his own, focussing on his main talent, his voice. The Tinderstick’s characteristic orchestrated big, rich, theatrical sound is gone, and what we are left with is Staples voice. The absence of the big accompaniment makes his voice sound more intense, more honest, and laiden with emotion. One of the most attractive things about the Tindersticks music was the honesty of it. The love songs that were about love as it really is. Not the roses and kisses and romance, but love in all it’s ickiness, dirtiness, awkwardness. And here, robbed of the juxtaposing musical beauty, it becomes more icky, more dirty, more desperate, and in a way, more wonderful. The album opens in a similar way to the Tindersticks album ‘Waiting For The Moon’, with Staples teasing us. You turn on the CD and wait for Staples honey coated voice to begin, and instead you get a mainly instrumental track with a female voice doing ad-libbed vocal harmonies towards the end. So you have to wait until Marseille Sunhine before you hear his glorious voice and it’s worth the wait. Marseille Sunshine is a very Tindersticks-esque track which starts very stark and bare and builds into something rich and beautiful. ‘Say Something Now’ is possibly the best song on the album, and is a track which will probably make you want to dance by the end of it, which is pretty strange for a Stuart Staples song. ‘Dark Days’ provides the album with a magical moment. Just Staples voice with the gentlest of acoustic guitar accompaniments, it is a million miles away from the luscious orchestration of the likes of tiny tears, but it is just a sad, gorgeous and beautiful It’s totally different to anything the Tindersticks have ever done; his voice even sounds different; frail, breakable, vulnerable, vicarious. As the title suggest, this is more of a work in progress than an actual artistic album. It is made up of 10 individual songs recorded over a two year period, but that is not to say that it is devoid of poetry. It’s sometimes nice to witness something in progress, something that hasn’t been smoothed and polished down. This is an album of raw emotion, it is rough around the edges, and somehow leaves you with an uneasy feeling, but that is exactly what the music of Stuart Staples is all about and that is exactly why we love him so. Send A Comment Leaving Songs (2006) 8.5 
Goodbye To Old Friends/There Is A Path/Which Way The Wind/This Road Is Long/One More Time/Dance With An Old Man/That Leaving Feeling/Already Gone/This Old Town/Pulling Into The Sea A new Stuart Staples album – Yeah! It seems that all my favourite artists have released new albums this year – Morrissey, Ron Sexsmith, Cat Power, and now the man with the smoothest voice in town – Mr Stuart Staples himself. And what an album it is. His 2004 album saw him create an identity for himself separate to the Tindersticks, and while its work in progress nature was one of its charms, ‘Leaving Songs’ is definitely an album that was approached by a different angle entirely. It is much more of a cohesive unit, a complete artistic entity. Whereas ‘Lucky Dog Recordings’ was recorded in his home studio over a space of two years with Staples doing just about everything including all the mixing, ‘Leaving Songs was recorded in Nashville and while he still produced the album himself he left the mixing and engineering to others while he concentrated on singing and playing, and this is something the album benefits from a lot. There is a real uplifting feel to this album, a certain positivity that has perhaps been lacking from other Staples and Tindersticks albums. Right from the very first track with it’s upbeat melody and jingly horn accompaniment, it gives a feeling that there just might be a glimmer of hope on the horizon. It’s not exactly happy clappy, but then again this is a Stuart Staples album, so we wouldn’t expect it or want it to be; but there is an positive overall atmosphere to it. As the title suggests, ‘Leaving Songs’, centres on the theme of departure, and it doesn’t seem to be the idea of leaving to go somewhere else. It’s just leaving, things coming to an end without anything else actually beginning; but the upbeat feel of the album indicates that departure isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Staples very effectively conveys the idea of change as a positive force, of the unknown quantity bringing endless possibilities. Staples has always enjoyed recording duets with female artists. Duets provide Staples with a very good vehicle of more fully exploring the nature of relationships. Using a duet, a song stops being a soliloquy and turns into a dialogue that allows you to hear the other side of the argument. It is a device that Staples uses very well. ‘Leaving Songs’ features two such duets. ‘This Road Is Long’ sees Staples duet with Maria McKee of ‘Show Me Heaven’ fame, which seems a strange choice, but McKee’s clean, soft voice contrasts very well with Staples rich, grainy vocals. On ‘The Road Is Long’ it is the turn of Lhasa de Sela who dueted with Staples on one of the tracks on ‘Waiting For The Moon.’ On the whole ‘Leaving Songs’ is a very good album, and contains some of the best material that Staples has written in a very long time. While each song is very good individually, there are several very special moments on this album. One of them is ‘This Old Town’ with it’s very country sound and pedal steel guitar, which is a beautiful song. Pedal Steel isn’t a sound that you wouldn’t normally associate with Stuart Staples but here he uses it to great effect. . The second special moment comes in the form of the sixth track, ‘Dance with An Old Man’. Completely devoid of any musical accompaniment whatsoever until the last few bars where a barely there acoustic guitar plucks a few strings, Staples sings solo and it sounds chilling, bare and fabulous. In a recent Interview, Staples created doubt around the Tindersticks ever getting back together, and on the strength of ‘Leaving Songs’, as far as Mr Staples is concerned, there isn’t really any need for them to reform. Already on to his second album, he has carved out a very distinct sound for himself and has shown that he has the ability to go it alone. Roll on solo album number three!
Songs for the Young at Heart - Stuart Staples and Dave Boulter and special guests (2007) 10
Track listing: Theme for the Young At Heart/Uncle Sigmond’s Clockwork Storybook – featuring Robert Foster on Vocals/Florence’s Sad Song – featuring Stuart Murdock on vocals/White Horse- featuring Cerys Matthews on Vocals/The Lion and Albert – Read by Jarvis Cocker/Robinson Crusoe/Hushaby Mountain – Featuring Stuart Staples on vocals/Mornington Ride – featuring Suzanne Osborne on vocals/Inch Worm – featuring Kurt Wagner on Vocals/Mary, Mungo and Midge/Puff The Magic Dragon – Featuring Will Oldham and Red on vocals/The Three Sneezes – Read by Martin Wallace/Hey There Don’t You Cry – featuring Stuart Staples on vocals The wonderfully charming ‘Songs for the Young at Heart’ is a definite contender if not already the runaway winner of my own personal album of the year contest. The Tindersticks Stuart Staples and Dave Boulter have come up with a really great idea and implemented it perfectly. Regular readers of this site will know that Stuart Staples can do no wrong in my eyes, but with ‘Songs For The Young at Heart’ he has really excelled himself. Staples and Boutler have got together with a selection of hand picked artists including Will Oldham of Bonnie Prince Billy fame, Pulp’s Jarvis Cocker, and The Go Between’s Robert Foster to present to us a collection of children’s songs, stories and TV themes. This album will catapult you back into your childhood as you recognise songs such as Puff the Magic Dragon or the theme from Mary, Mungo and Midge all given an adult twist Tindersticks style! Apart from the vast array of great songs and great artists, one of the things that makes this album extra special is the packaging. Instead of coming in a regular CD case the CD itself is inset into the back of a beautifully illustrated children’s book. The book is a specially put together version of Marion Edgar’s Monologue ‘Lion and Albert’ which is read on the album by Jarvis Cocker. The whole thing looks absolutely beautiful and looks exactly like a children’s book. There’s no way you’d guess there was a Stuart Staples CD lurking in the back of it! There are so many great things on this album that it’s difficult to single out just a few to mention. One of my favourite tracks on the album is Will Oldham’s version of ‘Puff The Magic Dragon’ complete with backing vocals from Opera singer ‘Red’. It’s a very different version to the one you’ll be used to hearing as a child. Oldham transforms it into a cool, minimalist indie masterpiece! Another favourite, is the Fabulous ‘Inch Worm’ as you’ve never hear it before. Lambchop’s Kurt Wagner sounds incredible scary croaking the lyrics over backing vocals which are provided by a children’s choir. I bet the children were scared to death, but the result sounds great! Of course one of the highlights of the album comes in the form of 2 songs sung by Stuart Staples. The first is ‘Hushaby Mountain’ from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang; and while I can barely remember the original, I’m sure it sounds nothing like this. Staples has transformed it from a song from a children’s musical, into a stark, haunting affair with luscious orchestration and delicate vocals. The second of Staples’ contributions is the only original song on the album and was written by Stuart himself. ‘Hey There Don’t You Cry’ is an excellent acoustic-guitar led ballad which may have been written with a children’s theme compilation album in mind but would work perfectly well on any Tindersticks or Staples solo album. One of the surprise hits of the album is Catatonia’s Cerys Matthew’s version of ‘White Horses’. I’ve never been a particular fan of hers or her vocal style but here her child-like vocals fit perfectly and create a wonderful, believable fantasy. I can’t imagine anyone else singing this song and it sounding so good. Belle and Sebastian’s Stuart Murdock provides the vocals for Florence’s Sad Song from the magic Roundabout. This is a really wonderful, beautiful track, and again, Murdock is the perfect artist to perform it. Alongside the songs and TV themes are two children’s stories told by Pulp Front man Jarvis Cocker and Tinderstick’s video director Martin Wallace. Jarvis tells the cautionary tale of The Lion and Albert which is an excellent children’s story, while Wallace takes on the lesser known ‘Three Sneezes’. I’d never heard the latter story before, but believe me it’s brilliant and hilariously funny! ‘Songs for the Young At Heart’ is charming and original
and delightful. It works as a celebration of the wonders of childhood
as well as a reminder of the darker, sadder side of childhood. Staples
and Boulter have chosen exactly the right songs and stories and
exactly the right artists to perform them. ‘Songs For the
Young at Heart’ is yet more proof that everything Stuart Staples
touches turns to gold. But, then again, we didn’t need any
more proof, did we?!
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Layout, Design and written material copyright Ruth McNerlan 2003-2007(Photographs are copyright of their respective bands/lables. No infringement was intended)
