A positive review of Mark Seymour’s Undertow album published on MyGlobalMind.

Author: ZeeZee, MyGlobalMind.

Date: 20 August 2011.

Original URL: http://myglobalmind.com/7569/mark-seymour-mark-seymour-and-the-undertow/ .

Article Text

Though Mark Seymour may not quite garner the same sort of notoriety as other seminal Australian songwriters like Paul Kelly, Jimmy Barnes or even Billy Thorpe, Nobody that is schooled in Australian rock music would doubt for a second just how important his contribution thus far has been. Seymour’s earlier days as front-man for pub rock legends Hunters and Collectors are remembered fondly by many but for some silly reason his solo efforts over the last decade or so remain largely left for purists and collectors only. There are however some people, myself included, that still follow everything Mark does and those lucky people are bound to immensely enjoy his new release Mark Seymour and the Undertow.

Whilst the album definitely has a singer/songwriter vibe and much appeal to the folk rock market, Seymour and his latest backing band aren’t shy about bringing the rock edge back into the music which will definitely please Hunters and Collectors fans that have found some of Seymour’s latter day efforts a little slow and low-key. Songs like Legend of the Snowmen, the Rolling Stones-esque Eldorado and Listen to the Cold Wind Blow will all have the rockier crowd up on their feet and each of these tunes could have slotted into any Hunters and Collectors album of the past with ease.

Seymour also gets to show his raw talent as a troubadour songwriter here too…. Especially with cuts like Castlemaine , a song that will please fans of After the Goldrush era Neil Young. There’s also a fantastic duet track with Angie Hart in Little Bridges. The folky Classrooms and Kitchens is inspired by Seymour’s mother’s time in a nursing home and it’s these ultra-personal touches that have always set him apart from the rest in my eyes. The Red Lady’s Gone is a great bluesy number that is about one of Seymour’s favourite cars that got stolen one night, and then we have the lyrically excellent The Patsy just to add a bit more class to an already sublime collection of tunes.

These songs are amongst the best the Seymour has ever written and it’s definitely the most exciting record since his day in Hunters and Collectors. I can only hope that the album garners the attention it deserves, whilst the Australian music charts are plagued with that cancerous dime-a-dozen pop/dance music from overseas, MARK SEYMOUR is still pumping out pure quality….It’s about time someone noticed don’t you think?…

Written By ZeeZee

Rating 9/10

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