A positive review of Mark’s “Westgate” album.

Author: Bill Holdsworth.

Date: June 2007.

Original URL: http://www.ravemagazine.com.au/content/view/3859/180/

Article Text

Seymour’s grasp of taut emotions on display again here.

Mark Seymour is in an expansive, expressive story-telling mode on this fourth post-Hunters & Collectors solo album. And the songs here cover a lot of territory, from the day in 1970 when Melbourne’s Westgate Bridge collapsed (the title track), Christian showmen (Feel The Lord) and a WW II digger’s funeral (Tobruk Pin), to an emotional tale of alcohol abuse (The Year Of The Dog), leaders who deceive (a Dylanesque Master Of Spin) and a wish for peace in the Middle East (Steve Earle’s Jerusalem). Behind it all is a landscape of lost innocence, tainted by political intrigue and military arrogance. Whew! That’s a big canvas, especially when Seymour’s real focus is ordinary people who have been impacted by all these forces. It sounds dark and bitter, particularly when he keeps the music direct and uncomplicated (musicians include such notables as his brother Nick, Lisa Miller and Chris Wilson). But Seymour has had plenty of experience of making an anthem out of angst, and he hasn’t let us down here. His heartfelt passion and melodic drive lifts these songs up, turning this into a tribute to people’s spirit in difficult times.

***1/2

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