Stevie Jackson: (I can’t get no) Stevie Jackson.
Stevie Jackson, lead guitarist and occasional songwriter/vocalist of Glasgow’s twee rock band Belle & Sebastian, has finally unveiled his first solo project. Fun is the name of the game here and the album is infused with whimsical, melody driven tracks that occasionally verge on being too quaint. A pleasant sixties pop vibe in tracks such as the Serge and Bardot inspired ‘Where Do All the Good Girls Go’ and ‘Dead Man’s Fall’- complete with customary ‘doo wop bops- perhaps makes these two tracks successful endeavours. ‘Telephone Song’ is also a stand out track with its lazy sweeping strings and downbeat vocals.
However, the charm wears thing in ‘Press Send’, a track that is concerned with the moral dilemma of sending an email to a female, and its embarrassing refrain of ‘do send/don’t send’ leaves you hoping Jackon would just send the bloody thing and be done with it. Then there is ‘Just, Just So To The Point’ containing frankly weird, hipefully ironic, ‘white boy’ rap. Perhaps Jackson is being tongue and cheek with these songs, and as a non-serious pop record, he’s done pretty well. If, like me, you sometimes find Belle & Sebastian a tad too irritatingly sweet, stay away from this. He should, however, be applauded for the wonderfully witty title (Think The Rolling Stones). Problem is Steve, after listening to this album, I’m not sure I can get any either.
5/10
