Luminous and alive, Dear Scott is just what Mick does: Head music, straight from the heart.
Dear Scott finds the great man right back on top form, on an album that ranks right alongside his finest work.
As is typical with Head's gorgeous music, you'd never guess his own turmoil from his conversational vocals and simply executed acoustics.
Even by Head's own lofty standards, this represents a late-career masterpiece.
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.
Shackled by its own turgid competency, Dear Scott fizzes with all the life of a demo tape recorded in a local community hall double-booked with a bingo night. No matter how loud you turn up the volume, it still sounds quiet. It sounds uncomfortably naked, too.
Does the Telegraph reviewer have some deep repressed childhood trauma associated with red elastic bands?
EDIT: Made a late charge for my AOTY which it fell JUST short of - but….!
- this is such a slyly emotional hard hitter in disguise, what first comes across as a beautiful but breezy acoustic rock nostalgia piece eventually reveals itself to be a collection of timeless reflective storytelling from someone who’s truly lived it. Bittersweet brilliance.
Kismet - 5/5 ❤
Broken Beauty - 5/5 ❤
The Next Day - 5/5 ❤
Freedom - 4/5
American Kid - 3/5
Grace and Eddie - 4/5
Fluke - 3/5
Gino and Rico - 5/5 ❤
The Grass - 3/5
The Ten - 4/5
Pretty Child - 3/5
Shirls Ghost - 3/5
Interesting that the Telegraph prefaces its comments section with "The Telegraph values your comments but kindly requests all posts are on topic, constructive and respectful." Pity it's 2/5 review by Ian Winwood (hopefully not the author) didn't follow any of this advice in one of the nastiest reviews I've ever seen. I hadn't realised that the clothes worn and loudness was integral to the music. I've noticed that when an album is being lauded some critics just want to stand out by ... read more
1 | Kismet 4:35 | 86 |
2 | Broken Beauty 3:44 | 85 |
3 | The Next Day 2:34 | 81 |
4 | Freedom 3:27 | 78 |
5 | American Kid 3:13 | 74 |
6 | Grace and Eddie 3:35 | 80 |
7 | Fluke 5:24 | 73 |
8 | Gino and Rico 4:18 | 85 |
9 | The Grass 4:44 | 74 |
10 | The Ten 5:01 | 79 |
11 | Pretty Child 4:10 | 71 |
12 | Shirls Ghost 2:02 | 69 |
#1 | / | MOJO |
#1 | / | Piccadilly Records |
#1 | / | Record Collector |
#3 | / | Uncut |
#19 | / | XS Noize |
#26 | / | Rough Trade (UK) |
#28 | / | Louder Than War |
#44 | / | God Is In The TV |