A little knowledge is a dangerous thing, especially in the hands of a know-it-all reviewer. How many albums, one wonders, have been written off because of a reviewer making an ill-informed decision based on an album’s cover art, title or concept? What started this somewhat discomfiting train of thought (how many albums have I let slip by?) was my initial reaction to the arrival of Peter Frampton’s ‘Humming bird in a box’, an album that is subtitled ‘songs for a ballet’, in which I was almost prepared to write off the album because I simply have little to no experience of ballet and my mind instinctively endeavoured to close itself to the possibility of listening to something totally outside of my comfort zone. However, if SonicAbuse strives toward any particular goal then it is to remain open minded and so, on a damp, humid and rainy Saturday morning I placed the CD in the player as much out of curiosity as anything and immediately felt very, very small. Forget whatever you know about Peter Frampton. Forget talking guitars and massive-selling AOR hits and forget that divisive word ‘ballet’ because what you have here is a stunningly subtle and nuanced album that floats free of any convenient genre tag and showcases a depth of compositional skill and musicianship that will leave serious guitar fans in rapture.
A seven song piece of work, ‘Hummingbird in a box’ is short, a mere half hour, sweet and spectacular. There is no showboating here, no attempt to recapture past glories or appease a fan base that is in the millions, rather the album is a beautifully conceived and fluid piece of work that was clearly made first and foremost for Mr Frampton himself. It is a musician’s record, a record that reeks of passion and inspiration, and it is an absolute joy from the nimble picking of opening track ‘Promenade’s retreat’ to the closing music hall blues of ‘Norman Wisdom’. If ‘Hummingbird…’ has a modern day equivalent, it is in David Gilmour’s similarly languid and slow-burning ‘on an island’ which references similar genres and moods.
‘The promenade’s retreat’ opens the mini-album with some beautifully understated soloing that recalls Mark Knopfler’s solo work, Peter’s guitar tone rich and warm, and when the album opens up to include Peter’s voice, now weathered a touch and caught somewhere between Peter Gabriel and Neil Young, the effect is mesmerising and utterly absorbing. It’s a beautiful opening track and enough to make the listener instantly realise that the album is something special. The title track opens with some stunning classical guitar work, Peter’s worn and warm voice weaving a magical melody around the listener as the guitars shimmer in the background. For those looking for something with a harder edge, ‘the one in 901’ is a delta blues stomp complete with a dark groove that instantly gets the foot tapping and some superlative lead work with just enough grit to give the song power and to spare without overpowering the rhythm work. An elegant and poignant piece of music, ‘friendly fire’ could just as easily have come from Neil Young’s ‘living with war’ album, the instrumental interplay underpinning Peter’s quiet meditation on conflict and Peter’s voice overcome with emotion as the solos reach a crescendo at the song’s conclusion. The pace slows with the gentle ‘heart to my chest’ which once again sits somewhere in that previously untapped gulf between Peter Gabriel’s emotive prog pop and Neil Young’s gnarled take on acoustic rock, only for a sublime chorus to emerge from the sparse arrangement, the melody cleverly crafted to achieve maximum emotional impact. It’s sedate, subtle and quite, quite beautiful. ‘Shadow of my mind’ is a languid, progressive piece of music that floats dreamily from the speakers with tremolo laden guitar and an artificial beat that owes more to Yes and Genesis than to Clapton. The album closes with the acoustic-led, music hall shuffle of ‘Norman Wisdom’, which is the perfect musical accompaniment for a lazy day spent in the afternoon sun. A touching tribute to the long departed comedian, it is a lovely, lilting end to the record that sees Peter draw proceedings to a close on a wonderfully human note.
‘Hummingbird in a box’ is a lovely album. A warm, rich, soothing record, the musicianship is sublime, the song writing perfect and the performances first rate. You could ask for nothing more and, whether you are a long time Frampton fan, a recent acquaintance or just a music fan looking for some exquisite performances, then this short, perfectly balanced release is for you. Shame on me for almost overlooking this gem – make sure you don’t make the same mistake.
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