Young; Paul: Chronicles

Best remembered for his time in Mike & The Mechanics, Paul Young was also the vocalist and a pivotal member of Mandalaband and Sad Cafe. He then became one of Mike Rutherford's "Mechanics", in what was a very fruitful side project for the long time Genesis man. Sadly Young passed away due to sudden heart failure in 2000, but through his hits with the above bands his music has lived on. Now some ten years since his passing, new recordings from Young's home studio have emerged and been lovingly completed to create a wonderful collection of songs in the same AOR, soft rock style that was the trademark of the bands that Young was involved with.

Unlike many albums made up of unfinished tracks Chronicles is actually a fantastic snapshot of what made the music of Paul Young so incredibly accessible and popular. The wonderful marriage of keyboard led rock and biting riffs allowed his songs to appeal to serious rock collectors, whilst still having pop-rock credentials to cross over into the mainstream. Having a voice that is pure gold also helps transcend genre boundaries and on every one of the songs featured here, that is exactly what Paul Young had. Of the harder hitting numbers, the rocked up Jackson Browne vibe of "Loss Of Innocence" is simply outstanding, while of the slower tracks the M&TM vibe of "Two Wrongs" and the Don Henley like "Your Shoes" are great examples of the classy vibes that Young produced so easily. Had this album seen the light of day back when chart singles mattered, there are so many songs on Chronicles that would have had success in that direction, with the pop rock singalong of "We Did Nothing Wrong" and the syrupy ballad "House Of Many Nations" being sure fire hit material.

"Grace Of God" is possibly the highlight of the album though as it sees Young duet with his Mike & The Mechanics vocal sparring partner Paul Carrack on a track that sounds like it comes straight out of Carrack's solo catalogue, with a soulful bluesy rock feel being perfect for these two talented singers. There is also a catalogue of impressive musicians involved on this song, with (among others) Victor Emerson, Ian Wilson, Des Tong and Dave Irving (all of Sad Cafe), Martin Kronlund (Gypsy Rose), and Mike Rutherford, along with most of 10CC helping out.

It may have taken over a decade, but Chronicles is a fitting tribute to a much missed vocal talent who may not be a household name, but the songs he sang on sure are. Very classy indeed.

Track Listing
01 House of many nations
02 Your shoes
03 Grace of God (duet with Paul Carrack)
04 Loss of innocence
05 Frozen Heart
06 Two wrongs
07 Water now the seed
08 Here comes the future
09 Everything
10 One heart
11 We did nothing wrong
12 I'm in heaven again
13 Everyday Hurts Recorded - Live with Mike and The Mechanics (bonus track with first pressing only)

Added: March 28th 2011
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: Paul Young Official Web Site
Hits: 2237
Language: english

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