REVIEW: Del Amitri, Hatful of Rain - The Best of Del Amitri (A&M)
- Joann D. Ball
Spanning Del Amitri's ten year career and four releases on A&M Records, Hatful of Rain - The Best of Del Amitri covers the range of styles that comprise the Scottish band's signature sound. Named for the song "Hatful of Rain" from 1990's A&M debut Waking Hours, the 17 tracks on this collection include Del Amitri's best known songs, some of the band's most notable album tracks and a few goood surprises.
Before highlighting the band's past gems, Hatful of Rain - The Best of Del Amitri gets off to a wonderful start with the new track "Cry To Be Found." On this sexy number that suggests the Bee Gees' "Love So Right," vocalist Justin Currie explores the upper reaches of his range and gives Barry Gibb a run for his money. This new cut highlights an approach that was first suggested on sultry "Just Like a Man" but is fully developed here. Staples like "Always The Last to Know" (also from 1992's Change Everything) and Top 10 hit "Roll To Me" (from 1995's Twisted), on the other hand, reveal the basis of the band's upbeat, accessible and radio-friendly Scottish jangle. In a class all its own, though, is "Stone Cold Sober" with its heart-pumping bass and slashing guitars. It's this rockier side of Del Amitri that takes center stage during the band's energetic live performances.
In contrast to Del Amitri's brighter, uptempo moments are the more melancholy songs like the acoustic guitar-based "Tell Her This" and "Be My Downfall." Here, the band's appreciation of American country and western music is evident in both sound and storyline. The new song "Don't Come Home Too Soon," which closes the compilation dresses up this approach with lush orchestral strings.
Focusing on the heartache and pain, as well as the frequent intoxication and inebriation that accompanies it, is a Del Amitri trademark. And while chief songwriter and bassist Currie captures the ups and downs of the human condition with his strong, capable voice, co-songwriter and guitarist Iain Harvie skillfully translates these observations with his passionate fretwork. Not only does this tendency to address such weighty matters reveal the band's Glasgow roots, but the band also makes embraces its Scottish heritage by adding hints and touches of Scottish folk music in all the right places. A perfect example of this can be found in the song "Spit in the Rain" (previously unreleased in the U.S.).
Overall, Hatful of Rain - The Best of Del Amitri celebrates Del Amitri's accomplished past. Starting and ending with two touchingly good songs, this record gives one hope that the band has at least another productive 10 years ahead of it.
TRACK LISTING: Cry To Be Found, Roll To Me, Kiss This Thing Goodbye, Not Where It's At, Nothing Ever Happens, Always The Last To Know, Here And Now, Just Like A Man, Spit In The Rain, When You Were Young, Driving With The Brakes On, Stone Cold Sober, Tell Her This, Move Away Jimmy Blue, Be My Downfall, Some Other Sucker's Parade, Don't Come Home Too Soon
