Karl Culley – Last!
Self Released – 1 September 2018
So, album number five comes in the form of a double album from Karl Culley with the title Last!…hopefully this won’t be. Featuring a fine collection of 21 songs the album is set to be released on September 1st on the tongue-in-cheek named label, ‘Last! Records?’
Carrying on from Stripling, this album is mainly an acoustic affair and this is where Karl is at his best. There’s no need for extra instrumentation, throughout there is variety in themes and moods, his complex but melodic guitar playing keeps the music rich and a suitable complement to his rather humble but enriching vocals and honest songwriting.
The aptly titled Perfection starts off sounding like a demo in the studio before a smooth performance that sounds anything but unrehearsed. Nastassya is a darker affair with a marching rhythm combining with subtle keys to create a brooding track – one of my favourites on the album.
Devil in a Damn Fine Suit is an intriguing title for a song and the listener cannot be anything but curious about who the song is about. The following Being Alive finds the guitar intensely scratching as Culley’s vocals are more hushed with lyrics of suffering – ‘hurts so much.’
There’s only one instrumental – a track called 1,2,3 and while it’s more of an interlude, it’s still a suitably tender moment before the song, (Delivered) My Maya, a wonderful ode to his newborn daughter. The delicateness in his voice is touching in this homage to a new life that he offers up everything to with a sense of newfound, unconditional love – ‘the sky is for you and the fire’s for you and the stars are true.’
Finishing this double album with Looking Back Blues is an appropriate way to end a musical journey through the thoughts and observations of this songwriter. It’s an optimistic ending without dwelling on past mistakes and failures but instead focuses on the positiveness of what is now – ‘Before I met you I was in the dark’ but now he sings ‘You are the one thing I can’t lose.’
All in all, this is an impressive and intimate collection of songs, recorded in a way that gives you the sense that Karl is comfortable in this setting with just him and his guitar.
https://soundcloud.com/karl-culley/looking-back-blues