Record Collection N° 248: Tiny Flaws “Imperfection Blues” (Imperfect Records, 2022) – English Version

The passionate blues rock and rhythm & blues & soul played on the English indie pop combo Tiny Flaws‘ second album is one of my favourite records of 2022.

It’s fitting that a band calling themselves Tiny Flaws called their second album Imperfection Blues. But then again not. Because there are no flaws on Imperfection Blues. Instead, after the tasty, soulful mod soul jazz of the self-titled 2019 debut album, which grooved more in the footsteps of Georgie Fame, you’ll hear smoking blues rock in abundance, but also with a large portion of soul. When listening to the singer on Imperfection Blues you might think of Paul Jones (ex-Manfred Mann) and The Blues Band (from the early 1980s, if anyone remembers), the Animals, the Spencer Davis Group and sometimes even Dr. Feelgood. But beware, the Tiny Flaws are no cheap copycats, despite the mature age of all those involved, Imperfection Blues sounds fresh, vital, and relevant in every groove. This band has many trump cards up its sleeve.

The ace of trumps is Toby Kinder, founder and mastermind of the Tiny Flaws, who dislikes modern pop music with its uniform assembly line sound, homogenized with autotuning and disco beats, which bangs out of every radio, because it lacks any creativity and soul – which is a mirror of our society that’s so keen on one’s perfect individuality but ultimately leading to a self-optimized conformity. Whereas Toby, the son of a music teacher, who became acquainted with The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Animals, Mose Allison, and Thelonius Monk through his father, relies on lively, passionate music played by real musicians according to the purity law of yesteryear. The good man himself shines on the Hammond C3 and Wurlitzer organ, on the piano, also on the accordion, if necessary, and even more so as a refined and subtle songwriter.

With Lenny Bignell, the Tiny Flaws‘ second trump card as guitarist and producer, Toby Kinder has played already in the superb mod-soul-jazz combo Gene Drayton Unit, but he also plays organ for the Parisian mod-soul combo French Boutik, where he has filled in for Olivier Popincourt when they play live, and also for The Sound Of Pop Art. Toby met Lenny at a Gene Drayton Unit gig in Brussels and over a few pints of Belgian beer they discovered their musical kinship which has led to the two musicians working together ever since, Bignell joined the Gene Drayton Unit in 2016, Kinder played organ for Bignell’s project The Juks and they continue their fruitful relationship as musical director and producer with the Tiny Flaws.

Bobby Tarlton as the new singer is the Tiny Flaws‘ third trump card that cannot be surpassed, powerfully supported by the rhythm duo Raydn Hunter (bass) and Mark Claydon (drums, also with the Gene Drayton Unit), who set the heartbeat for the Tiny Flaws, he really is the soul of Imperfection Blues. Of course, Bobby isn’t Paul Jones, Eric Burdon, Steve Winwood, or Lee Brilleaux, but hey, he’s Bobby Tarlton, a great rhythm & blues and soul singer who doesn’t need to fear comparison with any of the above greats and whose powerful, crisp blues tone and warm, soulful vocals perfectly match with the Tiny Flaws. And yes, the man in question is the very same Bobby Tarlton, who has been a fixture on London’s mod-soul scene for years and was named “North London’s finest troubadour”, who has in recent years established himself as Doctor Bird (aka Dr Bird) with superb songs, and soulful singing and a multitude of small gigs made himself heard in many places and has gained continually in reputation. Incidentally, it was Bobby, whose singing has already been described as “Van Morrison crashing into Nick Lowe”, who introduced Toby to the members of French Boutik, with whom Toby now plays organ casually, as well as with Dr Bird.

Blues harpist Joff Watkins, one of London’s finest harmonica players, is another trump card in the Tiny Flaws‘ excellent hand, that Gabriela Giacoman, the famous French Boutik singer, further strengthens, she makes a guest appearance on Imperfection Blues as lead singer on the song C’est Different and sings the seductive backing vocals on the dreamy A Boat Called Elsewhere.

The twelve songs of Imperfection Blues were recorded in Lenny Bignell’s home studio in Penge, a London district outside of the centre, in doing so the recordings were made more difficult and were delayed by the corona pandemic, and despite the rhythm duo could never play together in the studio, they grooved like clockwork.

Already the opening Photogenie , where Bobby Tarlton laments as blues shouter impressively about a lost love, sets a first emotional signpost. The second track Long Gone John, originally on the Gene Drayton Unit’s 2006 album At The Jazz Traffic Lights … keeps the tempo in a captivating blues shuffle, relying on Watkins‘ strong blues harmonica like almost all the songs here, and Bobby Tarlton celebrates his blues feelings and advocates making use of the time with the people around you, as long as they are still there because once they’re gone it’s too late. From The Soul with its sweet soulful sound and Memphis Horns-esque horns is a brand new composition and carries its message right in the title, it’s inspired by Toby Kinder visiting Memphis, and Bobby Tarlton knows to use the soul that he’s got in his voice to full effect and lets a pleasant shiver run over your skin. The gorgeous blues rock of Caffiend was first an instrumental on another Gene Drayton Unit record, 2008’s Done & Dusted, and addresses everyone on the album’s penchant for strong coffee. Also, originally a Gene Drayton Unit song, Get That Girl is the record’s secret hit that you can’t get out of your head, and unlike Bruce Springsteen’s early songs which were often about cars and girls, it’s all about that one special girl and even more coffee. And finally, at the end of the first side of the vinyl LP, in C’est Different, Gabriela Giacoman, who also wrote the song, gets her grand entrance, a friendly turn so to speak, which is not without reason reminiscent of Down In The Seine by The Style Council.

The second side of the LP opens with The Ones In Your Head, one of two re-recordings from the Tiny Flaws‘ debut album, it packs a lot more punch than the original, with Lenny’s pounding guitar riff, the howling blues harmonica and Toby’s full throttle organ, and Bobby sings in a class of its own as blues shouter. Whispering City is a highly evocative London ballad set against a jazzy cinemascope backdrop, and Bobby Tarlton once again shows just how much soul he has in his mature voice. The title track, Imperfection Blues comes also from the Tiny Flaws’ debut, and it deals with the fact that it’s the other person’s little mistakes that can make a relationship appealing and that maybe these mistakes are precisely what you miss when everything has gone to pieces. Done & Dusted was at first the 2008 instrumental title track of the album mentioned above, here soul man Bobby Tarlton laments how all hope, dreams and energy are relentlessly going down the drain with progressing age, and the wailing blues harp weeps with him. Definitely one of my favourite songs here, A Boat Called Elsewhere starts with drinking coffee again before the Tiny Flaws set sails towards Style Council Island with Bobby in the bow and Gabriela bewitches him with her sweet siren song. After all, Cake Shop is a cracking update of a soul-jazz instrumental by the Gene Drayton Unit from 2005 and would do credit as theme tune to a TV series, and it’s definitely a worthy la-la-la finale to the record.

The best songs are in your head, Bobby Tarlton sings in The Ones In Your Head, but on Imperfection Blues many of Toby Kinder’s intellectual creations materialize at their finest. As already said, this record is anything but flawed, it’s simply a sensation how good it is.

Tiny Flaws Imperfection Blues, Imperfection Records, 2022

Record Collection N° 248: Tiny Flaws “Imperfection Blues” (Imperfect Records, 2022)

Der leidenschaftliche Bluesrock und Rhythm & Blues-Soul des zweiten Albums der englischen Indie-Pop-Combo Tiny Flaws ist eine meiner Lieblingsplatten von 2022.

Dass eine Band, die sich Tiny Flaws, also kleine Fehler nennt, ihrem zweiten Album den Titel Imperfection Blues gibt, passt. Und auch wieder nicht. Denn Mängel gibt es auf Imperfection Blues mitnichten. Dafür gibt es hier nach dem süffig-souligen Mod-Soul-Jazz des selbstbetitelten 2019er Debütalbums, das noch mehr auf den Spuren von Georgie Fame groovte, rauchenden Bluesrock in Überfülle, aber auch den mit einer großen Portion Soul. Man darf bei Imperfection Blues an Sänger Paul Jones (Ex-Manfred-Mann) und die Blues Band denken (vom Anfang der 1980er, falls sich wer erinnert), an die Animals, an die Spencer Davis Group und auch mal an Dr. Feelgood. Aber Achtung, die Tiny Flaws sind keine billigen Copy Cats, trotz reiferen Alters aller Beteiligten klingt Imperfection Blues in jedem Groove frisch, vital und relevant. Diese Band hat viele Trümpfe im Ärmel.

Das Trumpf-As ist Toby Kinder, Gründer und Mastermind der Tiny Flaws, der moderne Popmusik mit ihrem uniformen, mit Autotuning und Disco Beats homogenisierten Fließband-Sound, der aus jedem Radio pumpert, verabscheut, weil ihr jegliche Kreativität und Seele fehle – sie sei quasi ein Spiegel einer auf Individualität erpichten Gesellschaft, die letztlich aber in eine selbstoptimierte Konformität münde. Dagegen setzt Toby, der Sohn eines Musiklehrers, der durch seinen Vater Bekanntschaft mit den Beatles, den Rolling Stones, den Animals, Mose Allison oder Thelonius Monk machte, auf lebendige, leidenschaftliche, von echten Musikern gespielte Musik nach dem Reinheitsgebot von anno dazumal. Der gute Mann selbst brilliert an der Hammond C3 und Wurlitzer Orgel, am Piano, auch am Akkordeon, wenn mal nötig, und erst recht als feingeistiger Songschreiber.

Mit Lenny Bignell, dem zweiten Trumpf der Tiny Flaws als Gitarrist und Produzent, spielte Toby Kinder schon in der lässigen Mod-Soul-Jazz-Combo Gene Drayton Unit zusammen, aber er orgelt auch für die Pariser Mod-Soul-Combo French Boutik, wo er live für Olivier Popincourt eingesprungen ist, oder für The Sound Of Pop Art. Toby lernte Lenny bei einem Gig der Gene Drayton Unit in Brüssel kennen und über einigen Gläsern belgischen Biers entdeckten sie ihre musikalische Seelenverwandtschaft, die dazu führte, dass die beiden Musiker seither zusammenarbeiten, 2016 schloss sich Bignell der Gene Drayton Unit an, Kinder spielte Orgel für Bignells Projekt The Juks und auch bei den Tiny Flaws führen sie ihre fruchtbare Beziehung von musikalischem Direktor und Produzent fort.

Bobby Tarlton als neuer Sänger ist der dritte nicht zu überbietende Trumpf der Tiny Flaws, druckvoll unterstützt vom Rhythmus-Duo Raydn Hunter (Bass) und Mark Claydon (Schlagzeug, auch bei der Gene Drayton Unit schon dabei), das für den Herzschlag der Tiny Flaws sorgt, ist er die Seele von Imperfection Blues. Bobby ist freilich nicht Paul Jones, Eric Burdon, Steve Winwood oder Lee Brilleaux, aber hey, er ist Bobby Tarlton, ein großartiger Rhythm & Blues- und Soulsänger, der den Vergleich mit obigen Granden nicht zu scheuen braucht und dessen kräftig-knackiger Blues-Ton und warmherziger, souliger Gesang perfekt zu den Tiny Flaws passen.  Und ja, bei ebendiesem Bobby Tarlton, der seit Jahren ein Fixpunkt von  Londons Mod-Soul-Szene ist, handelt es sich um Nordlondons besten Troubadour, der sich in den letzten Jahren als Doctor Bird (Dr Bird) mit superben Songs und beseeltem Gesang vielerorts Gehör und gebührende Reputation verschaffte. Es war übrigens Bobby, dessen Gesang schon mal als „Van Morrison kracht in Nick Lowe rein“ beschrieben wurde, der Toby Kinder mit French Boutik bekannt machte, bei denen dieser inzwischen nebenbei orgelt wie auch mal bei Dr Bird.

Der Blues-Harp-Bläser Joff Watkins, einer der besten Mundharmonikaspieler Londons, ist ein weiterer Trumpf im ausgezeichneten Blatt der Tiny Flaws, das Gabriela Giacoman, die famose Sängerin von French Boutik noch verstärkt, sie gastiert auf Imperfection Blues als Leadsängerin  im Song C’est Different und singt in A Boat Called Elsewhere die verführerischen Backing Vocals.

Aufgenommen wurden die zwölf Songs von Imperfection Blues in Lenny Bignells Heimstudio in Penge, einem Londoner Stadtviertel abseits des Zentrums, wobei die Aufnahmen durch die Corona Pandemie erschwert und verzögert wurden und so etwa das Rhythmusduo nie gemeinsam im Studio stehen konnte, aber dennoch wie geschmiert groovt. Schon der Einstieg Photogenie, in dem Bobby Tarlton als Blues-Shouter so amtlich wie eindrücklich über eine verlorene Liebe lamentiert, setzt einen ersten emotionalen Wegweiser. Das zweite Stück Long Gone John, ursprünglich am 2006er Album At The Jazz Traffic Lights …  der Gene Drayton Unit, hält das Tempo in einem fesselnden Blues-Shuffle, setzt wie fast alle Songs hier auf die starke Blues-Harmonika von Watkins, und Bobby Tarlton zelebriert seine Blues-Gefühle und plädiert dafür, die Zeit mit den Menschen um einen herum zu nützen, solange sie noch da sind, weil wenn sie einmal weg sind, ist es zu spät. From The Soul mit seinem süßen souligen Sound und seinen Memphis Horns-artigen Bläsern ist eine brandneue Komposition und trägt seine Botschaft schon im Titel, es ist inspiriert von einem Besuch Toby Kinders in Memphis, und Bobby Tarlton weiß den Soul, den er in seiner Stimme hat, voll zur Wirkung zu bringen und einem wohlige Schauer über die Haut laufen zu lassen. Der hinreißende Bluesrock von Caffiend war zuerst ein Instrumentalstück auf einer weiteren Platte der Gene Drayton Unit, Done & Dusted von 2008, und thematisiert die Vorliebe aller am Album Beteiligten für starken Kaffee. Get That Girl, ursprünglich ebenfalls ein Song der Gene Drayton Unit, ist der heimliche Hit der Platte, den man nicht mehr aus den Ohren kriegen will, anders als bei Bruce Springsteen, dessen frühe Songs sich oft um Autos und Girls drehten, dreht sich hier aber alles um das eine Girl und noch mehr Kaffee. Und in C’est Different, bekommt Gabriela Giacoman, die den Song auch getextet hat, ihren großen Auftritt, Freundschaftsdienst quasi, der vom Gefühl her nicht umsonst an Down In The Seine von The Style Council erinnert.

Die zweite Seite der Vinyl-LP eröffnet The Ones In Your Head, eine der beiden Neuaufnahmen von Songs vom Debütalbum der Tiny Flaws, es hat durch Lennys stürmisches Gitarrenriff,  der jaulenden Bluesharmonika und Tobys Vollgas-Orgel wesentlich mehr Druck als das Original, Bobby als Blues-Shouter ist eine Klasse für sich. Whispering City ist eine höchst stimmungsvolle London-Ballade vor einem jazzigen Cinemascope-Hintergrund, und Bobby Tarlton zeigt einmal mehr, wieviel Soul er in seiner reifen Stimme hat.Der Titelsong Imperfection Blues stammt wieder vom Tiny Flaws-Debüt und thematisiert, dass es gerade die kleinen Fehler der/des anderen sind, die eine Beziehung reizvoll machen können und dass es vielleicht gerade diese sind, die man vermisst, wenn alles in die Brüche gegangen ist. Done & Dusted war 2008 noch das instrumentale Titelstück des oben schon erwähnten Albums, hier beklagt Soul Man Bobby Tarlton wie mit zunehmendem Lebensalter alle Hoffnung, Träume und Energie unerbittlich flöten gehen, und die wehklagende Blues-Harp weint mit ihm. In A Boat Called Elsewhere, definitiv einer meiner Lieblingssongs hier, wird anfangs schon wieder Kaffee getrunken, ehe die Tiny Flaws mit Bobby vorne am Bug Richtung Style Council Island segeln, und Gabriela ihn mit ihrem süßen Sirenengesang betört. Cake Shop schließlich ist ein resches Update eines soul-jazzigen Instrumentals der Gene Drayton Unit von 2005 und würde einer TV-Serie als Titelmelodie zur Ehre gereichen, ein würdiges La-la-la-Finale der Platte ist es auf jeden Fall.

Die besten Lieder sind in deinem Kopf, singt Bobby Tarlton in The Ones In Your Head, aber auf Imperfection Blues materialisieren sich viele von Toby Kinders Kopfkreationen aufs Feinste. Wie schon gesagt, diese Platte ist alles andere als mangelhaft, es ist schlicht eine Sensation, wie gut sie ist.

Tiny Flaws Imperfection Blues, Imperfection Records, 2022

Record Collection N° 217: Dr Bird “The Early Demos” (Band Camp, 2020)

These are Dr Bird’s aka Bobby Tarltons songs of apprenticeship. From there he moved on to become a great singer/songwriter in the vein of Elvis Costello, Paul Weller, and the likes.

Well, maybe the world’s more excited about the advent the new ABBA album Voyage, and quite frankly I want to get that one too, but recent news that Dr (Doctor) Bird aka Bobby Tarlton is working on new songs and a new album that maybe will be released still within this year, triggers a lot of excitement here.

In February 2020 Dr (Doctor) Bird aka Bobby Tarlton released on Bandcamp a collection of five unreleased demos recorded in 2012 and 2013. They are produced sparser and thinner, but hey, that’s what demos do. From there he moved on to become a great singer/songwriter in the vein of Elvis Costello, Paul Weller, and the likes. And yes, this is no real record, just a download, but it’s a vital addition to my record collection.  

Most important, there’s no dud here. Especially When Breakfast Comes Around, Girl With Dusty Springfield Eyes and Every Sunday Afternoon sparkle like the gems on Dr (Doctor) Bird’s 2018 releases. Say, East London Cleopatra, Small Flat By The Sea, Month of Sundays, Roll The Dice or In Town With Alice, that I could listen all day and all night. Because Bobby Tarlton is such a great singer/songwriter, a very gifted (North) London troubadour at work.

Lest not forget, the brilliant cover illustration was drawn by French Boutik’s Serge Hoffman.

Record Collection N° 216: Channel Three “This is London / Small Flat By The Sea” (Static Wax Records, 2021)

In days like these you could tune in to Channel Three to bring more light and hope in your life. A few days ago the postman brought me their splendid first single, sent from Paris.

Hello aus London, Bon jour aus Paris. North London’s finest troubadour, Bobby Tarlton, who we know that is an excellent poet and singer, and Gabriela Giacoman and Serge Hoffman from the superb Parisian „Pop Moderniste“ band French Boutik, valued for their cool mod pop soul and currently waiting for the recording of their third album, got together in these pandemic-induced cultural doldrums and formed a project they call Channel Three. The first result of their inspired collaboration is the double A-side vinyl single This is London / Small Flat by the Sea, which will quickly become a collector’s item for connoisseurs. I got lucky, cause I ordered mine in time.

Channel Three „This is London“ – sent from Paris

On Side A1: This is London, whose superb melody was composed by Serge Hoffman and the lyrics were written by Bobby Tarlton who sings them with a lot of soul in his voice. The words rightly lament the destruction of London and other beautiful cities by the greedy gentrification everywhere. But a relaxed organ groove, a jazzy flute, and the dance beat of drummer Brian Gosling blow away too much melancholy.

On Side A2: The formidable Small Flat by the Sea, from Bobby Tarlton’s (aka Dr Bird) 2018 excellent debut EP Part Of My Plan, is a special gem. Cool and beautifully sung by Gabriela Giacoman, the wonderful French American singer from French Boutik. Her interpretation is reminiscent of Sandie Shaw or Nancy Sinatra singing songs by The Smiths, Morrissey, or Jarvis Cocker, and that is meant as a big, big compliment.

Channel Three This is London / Small Flat by the Sea (Static Wax)

B-Logbook 28.07.2021: Mal umschalten auf Channel Three

Channel Three

Hello aus London, Bon jour aus Paris. Nord-Londons allerfeinster Troubadour Bobby Tarlton, ein, wie wir wissen, hervorragender Lyriker und Sänger, und Gabriela Giacoman und Serge Hoffman von der famosen Pariser „Pop Moderniste“ Band French Boutik, geschätzt für ihren coolen Mod Pop Soul und zurzeit in der Warteschleife für die Aufnahmen eines neuen Albums, haben sich in der pandemiebedingten kulturellen Flaute zu einem Projekt zusammengetan, das sie Channel Three nennen. Das erste Resultat ihrer inspirierten Zusammenarbeit ist die Doppel-A-Seiten-Vinyl-Single This is London / Small Flat by the Sea, die schnell ein Sammlerstück für Kenner werden wird.

Auf Seite A1: This is London, dessen superbe Melodie Serge Hoffman komponierte, die Lyrics, die Bobby Tarlton mit viel Soulschmelz singt, beklagen mit Recht die Zerstörung Londons und anderer schöner Städte durch die profitgierige Gentrifikation allerorts. Ein lässiger Orgelgroove, eine jazzige Flöte und der Tanz-Beat von Drummer Brian Gosling verblasen aber allzu viel Melancholie.

Auf Seite A2: Das formidable Small Flat by the See, von Bobby Tarltons (aka Dr Bird) 2018er Debüt-EP, ist eine besondere Perle. Cool und wunderschön gesungen von Gabriela Giacoman, der wunderbaren frankoamerikanischen Sängerin von French Boutik. Ihre Interpretation erinnert an Sandie Shaw oder Nancy Sinatra, wie sie Songs von The Smiths, Morrissey oder Jarvis Cocker singen, und das ist als großes Kompliment gemeint.

Channel Three This is London / Small Flat by the Sea (Static Wax).

B-logbook: 05.08.2020: Dr Bird’s Apprenticeship

In February 2020 Dr (Doctor) Bird aka Bobby Tarlton released on Bandcamp a collection of five unreleased demos recorded in 2012 and 2013. They are produced sparser and thinner, but hey, that’s what demos do.

The things that made his triple 2018 releases so remarkable, the EP Part Of My Plan, the single Month Of Sundays, the debut album Bedtime Stories, is already laid-out there. The strong melodies, the poetic, poignant lyrics, the bard’s strong voice, and how he convincingly delivers a song.

There’s no dud here. Especially When Breakfast Comes Around, Girl With Dusty Springfield Eyes and Every Sunday Afternoon sparkle like the gems on his 2018 releases. Say, East London Cleopatra, Small Flat By The Sea, Month of Sundays, Roll The Dice or In Town With Alice. A great singer-songwriter, a gifted North London troubadour at work.

Lest not forget, the brilliant cover illustration was drawn by French Boutik’s Serge Hoffman.

Dr Bird The Early Demos, Bandcamp, 2020

An Update of My Top 20 Albums of 2018

 

Now it’s official: Doctor Bird’s aka Bobby Tarlton’s great debut Bedtime Stories has jumped into the Top Ten of my favourite 20 albums of 2018, residing now at N° 7.

On a private basis 2018 was a very good year, a good life. In some respects, especially in political, social and ecological terms, 2018 wasn’t a very good year. It was even worse than 2017. And who knows what the future will bring. But it’s for sure, music hasn’t lost its healing and world bettering force.

Here are my favourite 20 albums of 2018, chosen totally subjectively and incorruptly like every year. This is what I really bought and liked in 2018 and what I listened to mostly on CD or vinyl, but sometimes also in MP3 format on my mobile devices when that was more convenient. Cause it’s the music that counts. But streaming is naff.

 N° 1 Paul McCartney Egypt Station

N° 2 Tracey Thorn Record

N° 3 Elvis Costello and The Imposters Look Now

N° 4 The Beatles The Beatles and Esher Demos (1968/2018, 50th Anniversary Edition)

N° 5 Yo La Tengo There’s A Riot Going On

N° 6 Sting & Shaggy 44/876

N° 7 Bobby Tarlton Bedtime Stories

N° 8 Christine and The Queens Chris

N° 9 Martin Freeman and Eddie Piller Present Jazz On The Corner (Compilation)

N° 10 Paul Weller True Meanings

N° 11 Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs Present Paris In The Spring (Compilation)

N° 12 David Bowie Glastonbury 2000 (2 CDs, 1 DVD)

N° 13 Arctic Monkeys Tranquility Base Hotel + Casino

N° 14 Paul Simon In The Blue Light

N° 15 The Good, The Bad & The Queen Merrie Land

N° 16 Gorillaz The Now Now

N° 17 Swing Out Sister Almost Persuaded

N° 18 Jungle For Ever

N° 19 David Crosby Here If You Listen

N° 20 Neil Young Songs For Judy (Recorded 1976; released 2018)

Doctor Bird “Bedtime Stories”

Doctor Bird’s aka Bobby Tarlton’s album debut entered belatedly the Top Ten of my favourite albums of 2018. Why? Because it’s that good.

As you may know already, I nominated in my blog the North London troubadour Bobby Tarlton as Pop-Newcomer of 2018, fully convinced that I’m right, even if he’s more of a late bloomer than a real newcomer. When the time came to compile my usual end-of-the-year-list of my favourite albums of 2018 I squeezed Bobby Tarlton’s debut album Bedtime Stories in at N° 20, again fully convinced it had to there.

So far, so good. But I guess now I didn’t have enough time to listen to the album when it was released in October ’18, because I had a lot of work to do then, stressed-out as I had to meet some serious deadlines in December. Great work I really enjoyed doing, but not the right time to enjoy Bobby Tarlton’s Bedtime Stories to the fullest.

But now, after repeated listening I’m sure I must update my 2018-album-list in favour of Bedtime Stories, in the meantime it has entered the top ten of my favourite albums of 2018, again I’m fully convinced that it must be there. Why? Because it’s that good. Now it’s at N° 7 maybe still climbing higher.

The last few weeks Bedtime Stories has been my favourite and most played album on top of all. The only other album I put more than once in my cd-player being the 38 Carat Collection by Prefab Sprout. My favourite songs on Bedtime Stories are the wonderful romantic ballad In Town With Alice; the soaring title track with an elegant, cool saxophone solo; and the rousing lovelorn rocker Month of Sundays, that was already released as download only single last summer but presented here in an extended (kind of 80ies) remix, being much more poignant and powerful now. But all ten songs on Bedtime Stories are fab, from the soulful rocking stomper There’s No Fool (Like An Old Fool) to Month of Sundays that bookend the album.

Bobby Tarlton’s superb songs are the essence of a modern pub rock in the vein of Nick Lowe, Elvis Costello, Squeeze or all things Paul Weller. All songs are a charmer. Written, played and sang with no frills up to the point; with fine lyrics that mostly talk about love matters; with a fine melody, a cool groove and a ripe, strong singing voice between great British pop bards like Nick Lowe or Billy Bragg. Whether the gently rocking and wisely talking Roll The Dice and Shut Up and Dance or the catchy, love-hungry Upstairs and Make Love – all killer, no filler. Top of the Pops! Bedtime Stories should be massive. In a better (pop) world it would be massive.

May I propose a crowdfunding project for a proper vinyl release of this gem?

Doctor Bird Bedtime Stories, Direct Records, 2018