Sweet Baboo – Hello Wave (Businessman)
4/5
By: Chalky
George Washington once said “good Welshmen make good Americans”. Quite whether he had the likes of North Walian Stephen Black in mind I can't say, but the influences America has had on Sweet Baboo are profoundly obvious throughout Hello Wave, his second long player release.
Death, God, demons, travelling and his tales of pretty girls form the basis of Steve’s songs. All are traditional Country music subjects but as with any good song, you can have all the right ingredients but it’s the delivery that counts. And it’s here that Sweet Baboo makes his mark.
“If I’m Still In Love When I Get Back Home From Travelling (America)” with its upbeat bluegrass rhythm and comical lyrics such as "I saw a seagull with a bandaged hand, so I shot him down like a man" is a chirpy, playful opener and set my expectations for more of the same to follow, which, I discovered, is not always the way things roll with Sweet Baboo. “Let’s Go To Town” is a much slower paced song, sounding a little like “Amazing Grace” and lyrically less smiling, although it does end with an unexpected blast of fairground noises. The ninth track "Darlin' If You Think My Songs Are Fun Then Darlin' You Are Wrong" is a good example of the way Sweet Baboo uses the juxtaposition of a playful tone and serious subject matters allowing him to intersperse his soul-searching with lighter moments.
With a common theme of references to God in songs such as “Little Bernadette” and “Tim’s Song” there is a hint of alternative Christian folk but not in a heavy handed, preach at you, manner. Maybe he will pick up a few stray Christian followers along the way but as I understand it, the religious connotations originate from having listened to a lot of Country music and the bigger more emotional picture and atmosphere he can paint with lyrics using such references.
Double Basses, organs, acoustic guitars and mandolins amongst many other instruments (including a musical saw) complete the American folksy sound complimenting Steve’s unpolished vocals; I particularly like the Appalachian feel the combination creates on "In The Night Sky (I Hear Him Calling Me)".
Hello Wave is an enjoyable album, built on conventional roots, but flavoured with a refreshing individuality and eccentricity.
Artists in this article: Sweet Baboo
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