While his last record was laced with references or allusions to his wife's cancer battle, this new Robert Forster offering is all sunshine and roses. Well, not exactly. The half of the best songwriting partnership since Lennon & McCartney sounds as invigorated as he can be here on Strawberries, his new album. Dare I say that he even sounds like his late partner in the Go-Betweens, Grant McLennan?
"Tell It Back to Me" is rollicking and joyous, a slap on the back as a summer hike starts, while "Good to Cry" has a slight twang about it. It's not exactly Buck Owens, but it's got enough country-sparked bonhomie to make you think make Robert knicked it from some Nashville cat ages ago. Strawberries works very well indeed in these brighter stretches. That's not to say the more serious numbers don't work, but that the more upbeat ones provide surprises from an artist still surprising us after nearly 50 years on the scene.
Strawberries works best when Robert Forster sounds like he just isn't belaboring any idea for too long. The title cut and "All of the Time" sound like numbers he just wrote and recorded in the same day. I mean that in the best possible way. There's something liberating here in hearing a guy who's been one of the most literate (for lack of a better word) songwriters just cut loose a little. The spontaneity of portions of Strawberries is what makes this a highly recommended record. Of course, Robert Forster is always worth listening to, so there's that too.
Strawberries by Robert Forster is out this Friday via Tapete.
[Photo: Stephen Booth]