Johnny Coppin – River of Dreams
Red Sky Records RSKCD 124 – 25 February 2022
Since Decameron hung up their boots in 1976, Johnny Coppin has followed the path of the classic singer/songwriter. There’s an album every couple of years, and he chooses his collaborators and musicians with care, so the quality remains high. River of Dreams is no exception to the rule. I doubt you will find a better writer and singer of songs that tell stories with a sense of place. Johnny is a man of Gloucestershire and proud of it. He has had a link to the county due to his popular Folk Show for BBC Radio Gloucester that ran for many years and was a regular in the ‘Listen Again’ charts. On this collection of songs, he has help from the likes of old friend Paul Burgess on fiddle and John Broomhall on keyboards, among others, but at the heart of all this is a man with a guitar or piano singing his heart out.
The album opens with Johnny’s telling of a Gloucester legend, ‘The Bisley Boy’, that claims that ‘Good Queen Bess’ died as a young girl and the family substituted a young red-headed boy who went on to rule in her stead…a plot that was never uncovered. What a story and what a song! I care not if it is true; it has the feel of a traditional ballad with a great tune and a fine chorus. What’s not to like? For me, it’s one of the highlights of the album.
Johnny has a real knack for producing memorable tunes and singable choruses, as evidenced by ‘Break Free’. A sad song with a jolly melody. Johnny doesn’t explain, nor does he need to. Listen and judge for yourself. The same might be said of ‘Let’s Find A Way’, a song written during lockdown with a chorus that came to the writer in a dream. Lockdown may have inspired many such pieces in the past two years, but few will be as good as this.
Johnny’s Gloucestershire roots are showing in his setting of Laurie Lee’s poem ‘Long Summer’ and also in ‘Song of the Severn’ that was commissioned by the Gloucestershire Police and Crime Commissioner, no less, to commemorate the opening of a new police training centre, ‘Sabrina’, by the River Severn. If you think that is a strange inspiration for a song, then you should hear ‘In the Heart of the War’, a tribute to the men and women of the SOE (Special Operations Executive) who operated behind the lines in France during World War Two. It’s a dark story underpinned by the beautiful, brooding organ playing of John Broomhall and some fine dobro from Ben Church. Fans will be aware that Johnny Coppin has always had an ear for fine covers of other writers’ songs, and here we have his version of Roseanne Cash and Rodney Crowell’s song of the American Civil War ‘When the Master Calls the Roll’ on which Paul Burgess’ fiddle really shines.
While Johnny Coppin’s voice has changed a little over the years, his range seems to have increased, particularly in the lower register, and there seems to be something of an edge to his voice that lends real character to his storytelling style. I don’t believe he has ever sounded better, and River of Dreams should be well received by established fans and new listeners alike. I can’t wait to hear him perform these songs live.
http://www.johnnycoppin.co.uk/
Johnny Coppin – River of Dreams album launch concert:
Thursday 7th April 7.30pm
The Bacon Theatre, Cheltenham, GL51 6EP
Box Office: 01242 258002
www.bacontheatre.co.uk
Photo Credit: Martin Fry