Don Walker’s new album Love Songs covers a broad sweep of landscapes from Darwin to St Petersburg, but at its heart it is more about the emotional sweep of the many different kinds of emotional love.
Across Love Songs’ nine tracks, Walker and his band explore the many iterations of love, with a thread that relies on consummate musicianship of his long-time band, supported by celestial backing vocals from the Harmonettes.
The music moves from the opening track’s Lets All Get Together salsa swing through to the chunky driving guitars on The Girl I Used to Know and closes with his 14 minute personal odyssey to Darwin where the air is redolent with the smell of frangipani.
“I wasn’t trying to produce a monoculture culture album,” said Walker. “I was just looking around for good songs, and when I realised that I had most of the album in the vaults that might appeal to people, I really had to shine a light on them.”
Behind Walker’s dry, but highly engaging storytelling, delivery and keyboards, is the tight and slinky rhythm section of long time collaborators, bassist Michael Vidale and drummer Hamish Stewart, providing the foundation for guitarists Shannon Bourne, Roy Payne and pedal steel guitarist Garrett Costigan to shine.
Mark Punch, Charlie Owen and Sam Leman are listed as guest guitarists, while backing vocalists The Harmonettes have added two members for this project.
Love Songs opens with the rousing party anthem and instant ear-worm Let’s All Get Together, which has previously been recorded by Kate Ceberano in 2003, James Blundell in 2006 and Ian Moss in 2007.
Breakfast in Paris sees Walker in more familiar musical territory as his imagination wanders on the last song recorded for the album. Posing as a love struck international flaneur he imagines that the various girls he sees in his travels are the singular girl of his dreams.
Luck, co-written with Thomas Busby, along with Fly Away, features distinctive guitar work from the late Roy Payne, an influential figure in Walker’s solo endeavours, and are recordings left over from the Lightning in a Clear Blue Sky sessions. Luck is also highlighted by the tasty pedal steel work from regular Walker associate, Garrett Costigan.
Chunky guitars, The Harmonettes and a driving rock beat lifts The Girl I Used to Know to another level, before the first person and wistful It Will Always Be You sees Walker back on familiar grounds as he focusses on his girl and reaffirms his intentions.
Darwin was written when Walker was living in Singapore, and at 14 minutes is the epic book-ender to Let’s All Get Together, telling the story a a person losing his identity in order to claim a new one.
“‘I got my Darwin name’ is a reference to people who move up to Darwin and operate under a fictitious history and a fictitious name,” said Walker.
With a bunch of songs written over a 20-year period and recorded in various sessions, Walker and sound mixer Kevin Shirley pulled it all together in Nashville where Walker finally got the album of his dreams.
Of the five solo albums Walker has produced, Love Songs stands head and shoulders above what he has produced in the past, as he delivers a work that is superbly realised and timeless in its execution. On Love Songs, Walker, the songsmith and musician, shines throughout.
Love Songs is available from www.donwalker.com.au Don Walker and band will be touring Love Songs from Friday 16 October. For more information, including performance dates and venues, visit: www.donwalker.com.au for details.
Images: Don Walker – photo by Sophie Howarth Photography | Love Songs (supplied)
Review: John Moyle