Michael Snow, Never Say No to a Jar (Irish Eye Records, 2003)
You can take the lad out of Liverpool, but you will never take the Liverpool out of the lad. Indeed, why the hell would you want to, I ask myself. After all, hasn't Liverpool just been voted European Capital of Culture 2008? These days Michael Snow is fortunate to live in Nashville, Tennessee, but he was born and raised in Liverpool. He has been in the music business, one way or another, nearly all his life. Starting in the Mersey Beat era, he played in a band called The Barons, but he now runs a music publishing and recording company in Nashville. A composer of many songs, he is most noted is 'Rossetta'. It was a big hit for Allan Price and Georgie Fame in nine countries.
Now, with Never Say No to a Jar, Michael is retuning to his roots, re-kindling his embers as the son of Irish immigrants who settled in Liverpool. This is the third album in his 'Skelly' trilogy. A 'Skelly' is (friendly) Liverpool slang for someone whose parents came from Ireland. I haven't heard the other two albums, Here Comes the Skelly and The Rats and the Rosary, but I'll bet they make interesting listening, because this one is absolutely brilliant.
It may or may not have been Michael's intention, but part of the charm of the album, and indeed the songs, is the way he has created a typical Merseyside pub/club singer's sound. Maybe it's the musicians or the backing instruments he has used, but believe me when I say it is fairly authentic. The guest musicians doing the business here include Pat McInerney (percussion), Ron de la Vega (bass, fiddle and cello), Craig Duncan (fiddle), John Mock (whistles, Uillean pipes, concertina and guitar), Clive Gregson (acoustic guitar, mandolin, 5-string banjo, piano, keyboard and backing vocals), Brian Willoughby (acoustic guitar), Laurie Grigorieff (hurdy gurdy and whistle), Buddy Connolly (button accordion) and Dave Pomeroy (electric bass). Additional harmony vocals are provided by Dennis Locorriere, Ian Wallace and Jim Counter. And lets not forget the 'pub chorus': Elizabeth Reed, LeAnn Etheridge, Cathryn Craig, Rowena Whaling and Reckless Johnny Wales.
The songs on this album are loosely contemporary folk, but with a strong jaunty Irish feel to them. Michael Snow has what I call a 'lived in' voice that holds a rare blend of individuality and maturity. His experience in the business shows, for when you listen to the album and the song style, it really flows brilliantly. It is hard to pick a favourite track, but the first song, 'Dandy Vernon', is a real must. It is from a line in the chorus of this song the album takes its title.
After that comes a song called 'That Sonic Boom', dedicated to Duane Eddy and his guitar. At track three is another song that took my fancy, a romantic ballad called 'Light That Fire Again' -- penniless and falling in love in the early 60's was never easy. Then another song that is sure to be popular in Liverpool and Wallasey: as it recounts a life starting in the blitz on the dock area of Liverpool during the war, 'River Remember Me' has excellent lyrics. Another song worth a special mention is 'Brand New Uniform', because of a clever and unusual use of backing instruments -- the table harmonium, uillean pipes and fiddle take it to another level. The same can be said of the song 'A Pub on Every Corner', with the hurdy gurdy and whistle.
Adding a bit of variation and mood, the song 'Black Sheep: Blarney Star' is pre-empted by the poem 'The Dog in the Street'; in it a scouser living in Tennessee is recounting his roots in a bar on the west coast of Ireland. The key for the album is held in the words of the fourth verse of the poem:
'I live in the Southlands . . . far Tennessee,
But Liverpool town is the place that claims me.
"Ah Liverpool is it? I know it so well,
A large part of heaven, and a small piece of hell."'
How true . . .
There are fourteen songs listed on the play list, but after the last song, 'A Skelly's Farewell' -- a lovely song that would bring a tear to a glass eye -- leave the CD to run for another twenty seconds, and you will find the song 'Rosetta' (are you better?) sung by Michael. A superb version, sung as it should be -- well, after all, he did write the song!
A good Web site for Michael Snow can be found here.
