Woke up this morning and found out that I had run out of Frosties. And it was raining. It is at time like that when you need some concentrated sentimentality to get your day started and, as it happens, Glasgow songsmith Jim Byrne is a fine purveyor of such things with his album “A Scottish Child from the 1960s” being about as rose tinted as you can get.
In some ways, it could be said that an album like “A Scottish Child from the 1960s” is an anachronism as, while the days of today are often cold and wet, this album is something of a coal fired antidote to all the emotional anathema that comes with modernity. Stylistically, the songs draw on folk, Americana and even old timey country but, with there being something to please everyone who likes a digestive biscuit with their afternoon tea, it is easy to find yourself drawn into these eleven sentimental stories. Maybe that is because they are all targeted at the heart and we all have, or at least should have, one of those.
I am quite sure that after a shandy or two, I might even sing along with several of these songs and that’s not something I am often tempted to do. Mind you, I am also of the opinion that these songs would transfer nicely to shellac and, perhaps just like it was back then, being a child of the 1960s has turned out to be no bad thing.
Best song: “Smile With Me”
Verdict: Sentimental is the new thermal underwear