Album Review: Nick Lowe - Love Starvation/Trombone

Over twenty years ago, after the success of Little Village, Nick Lowe dropped his proto-punk pub-rock power-pop guises and reinvented himself into an understated singer/songwriter. Power chords and frantic beats gave way to low-key acoustic guitars and delicate arrangements.

This new EP is once again recorded with backing band Los Straitjackets, a group who performs with Mexican luchador masks... but that's where the gimmicks stop. The music is earnest and innocent and harkens back to the simple, swinging sounds of the late fifties.

Love Starvation is probably the "wildest" song of the bunch, one that could have been recorded by Brinsley Schwartz back in the mid-seventies, albeit in a probably harder version. Blue On Blue is a soft, twangy ballad with an old-timey feel. Trombone sounds like a lounge version of a Warren Zevon tune if you can imagine such a monster. It has a cool horn section and is this reviewer's favourite song on the EP. Raincoat In The River is a faithful cover of the classic made famous by Ricky Nelson.

At 70, Nick Lowe has stopped playing the part of the Jesus of Cool. He no longer needs to proselytise: just like his music, Nick Lowe IS Cool.

Genre: Pop/Rock

Release Date: May 17th, 2019

Label: Yep Roc Records

Rating: 7/10