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Old 07-27-2011, 01:24 PM   #97 (permalink)
Trollheart
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The cat is out --- Judie Tzuke --- 1984 (Legacy)


(Note: this review was originally written some years ago for my own Judie Tzuke website, so it may seem a little more in-depth than usual, and may assume more familiarity with her work than would normally be expected, as it was written with her fans in mind. For those who are not familiar with her work I've added a short preface to the review.)

I first fell in love with the music of Judie Tzuke when I heard the hit single “Stay with me till dawn” on the radio late one night, and went out and bought her debut album, “Welcome to the cruise”. Since then I've bought just about everything she's released, and it's been a pretty impressive turnover. Up as far as this album, she has released an album a year, though after “The cat is out” it would be five more years before the follow-up, the stunning “Turning stones”, would see the light of day. Her album previous to this, 1983's “Ritmo”, had not gone down well with me, and is still what I consider to be the nadir of her career, though happily her output soon returned to the excellent quality I had come to expect from her, and so far she has not yet put a foot wrong since that one bump in the road.

So two years after the release of "Ritmo", Judie returns with a new label and a whole new sound to the last album. A full lineup this time, with Rhino Edwards taking over all bass duties on "The cat is out", and doing very well too. Longtime guitarist and partner-in-crime Mike Paxman and Judie's husband, Paul Muggleton provide the backing vocals between them, and Paul even gets to play guitar! (This is jokingly referred to on the sleeve notes as "accidental guitars"). A new drummer in Andy Newmark and a permanent saxophonist in Andy Hamilton helps to give the whole album a more "together" feel, more polished and professional than the previous outing, and it shows in a far better album.
(Annoyingly, this is the only song from this album I can find on YouTube. Philistines!)

The opening track, “How sweet it is” is a celebratory song of love, rattles along at a nice pace, the keyboards of Bob Noble complementing Mike's steady guitar, and the whole ensemble works very well as Judie sings "How sweet it is, oh how sweet it can be", as if she herself realises that they are making a far better album than the last one. She sounds happy to be cutting records again, and whether this has anything to do with the change of label or not is open to speculation, but she certainly does sound freer, more relaxed than she was on “Ritmo”.

This is another collaboration between Mike and herself, though he is given first billing, so perhaps it's more his song than hers.There aren't really any dark songs on this album, and maybe that's what makes it so good. Track two, “Who do you really love?”, the second attempt from Paul and Bob, is a song of angst, as Judie tries once again to get the proper commitment from her man, but he once again appears to be cheating on her, and it's tearing her apart. She vows "I'll know the truth from you, I won't let go until I know." The song itself is paced against an urgent sort of beat, with keyboards and drums meshing to sound like clanging bells, and the overall impression is of a sort of insistency, a need to know. Judie drafts in the assistance of two other women, Jaqui Robinson and Diane Wright to help out on the backing vocals on this one.

“Love like fire” shows Judie in disillusioned phase, as she realises that not everyone falls in love, and sometimes you just have to take what you can get. The tune itself is solid, nice synth backing line, a thumping bass and steady drums. Again, this track gives an impression of the entire band meshing together as a unit, really working well together and most importantly, enjoying themselves. I personally didn't get this feeling from "Ritmo": in places, yes, but not all through the record. And then it's on to the standout ballad, which was released as a single.

“ I'll be the one“ echoes remembrances of “Come hell or waters high”, from 1981's “I am the phoenix”, with a lovely piano backing and synth line, gentle drums and understated guitars, as Judie sings of her devotion to her lover, and how she will always love him: "It's me who loves you/ Till your waves will cease to wash my shore/ And much more..." This is again penned by Bob and Paul, and this time they have got it spot-on: a ballad worthy of Judie or Mike's writing themselves.The backing vocals halfway through and to the end are really nice also, Mike and Paul counterpointing Judie's impassioned lead vocal wonderfully. Should have been a classic. Was, in my book.

An interesting song, “Girl without a name”, another Muggleton/Noble effort, tells the story of either a man having a waking fantasy, or a woman who only appears to him, and only at night. There are perhaps dark undertones to this song, if you want to look at it that way (succubus, temptresses etc), but taken on its own merits it can be an amusing or sad song, depending on which way you choose to view it. The music is light and lilting, as is Judie's vocal, and the backing vocals from the two lads work, as usual, very well in counterpoint to her lead.

The first collaboration between Mike Paxman and Paul Muggleton works out very well indeed. “This side of Heaven” is about a broken love affair, which may have involved the death of the man in the affair, as Judie sings "I keep wishing I could see you again/ This side of Heaven". The music is very upbeat, with nice Spanish/acoustic guitars in the background. Then it's on to “Harbour lights”, an excellent song, penned by Paxman/Tzuke, in the vein of “Molly” from her second album, “Sportscar”, but a far more mature song. “Harbour lights” tells of a woman going down to the harbour to wait for her lover to come back, which of course he never will. The music is slow, with insistent urgency in the chinging guitars in the chorus. The electric piano of Bob Noble keeps a lovely counterpoint to the vocals, and you can almost see this girl standing at the jetty, watching as the dusk closes in and "She stands alone /But the harbour lights/ Won't be turned on tonight"
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The next track, simply titled “You”, appears to be a cover, possibly written by Ian Hunter(?). It's a great song though, and cracks along at a fine pace, Mike's guitars punching out the melody while Bob's keyboards match him chord for chord, and Judie sings of an illicit affair with a younger man of lower station than she: "I can't let you hurt yourself /By being seen with me". The backing vocals are very powerful, as is the whole song. A good rocker, and a chance for Judie to exercise her varied range. And then it's pull back on the throttle for another ballad, a gentle, flowing song which celebrates the wonderful way that love, which sometimes seems to become boring, suddenly rekindles and it's just as good, if not better, than the first time. “Falling” features a lovely, slow, laidback beat, with pianos meshing gently with guitar to create a gorgeous tapestry against which the jewel of Judie's soft vocal rests.

The last track is a fast, bouncy number, declaiming the dangers of not grabbing the moment when it comes, as the world passes us by uncaringly. Live for the moment seems to be the underlying message of “Racing against time”, and I have to admit that though it's a Tzuke/Paxman/Muggleton effort, I don't really like it, but it's short and closes the album more as a filler than an actual song as such. I'd prefer to be humming Falling as I put the album away though...

TRACKLISTING

1. How sweet it is
2. Who do you really love?
3. Love like fire
4. I'll be the one
5. Girl without a name
6. This side of Heaven
7. Harbour lights
8. You
9. Falling
10. Racing against time



Suggested further listening: “Welcome to the cruise”, “Sportscar”, “I am the phoenix”, “Turning stones”, “Wonderland”, “Shoot the moon”, “Under the angels”, “Left hand talking” and the double-live “Road noise”
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Last edited by Trollheart; 11-04-2011 at 01:06 PM.
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