Clive Gregson – Long Story Short

Although his only outward connection to the “new wave” was that he looked like Elvis Costello’s dad, English songwriter Clive Gregson released four tuneful, challenging and critically-acclaimed albums in the early ’80s with his Manchester-based combo Any Trouble. Working similar turf as Costello, John Hiatt and Joe Jackson, with a strong undercurrent of Richard Thompson, Any Trouble nevertheless found little purchase on either side of the Atlantic, finally disbanding in 1984.

A proficient guitarist possessing cozy baritone pipes that glide effortlessly into a sublime falsetto, Gregson spent the balance of the decade splitting his time between a folk-rock duo with Christine Collister and serving as Thompson’s vocal and guitar foil in his touring and studio bands. Since relocating to the Nashville area about a decade ago, Gregson has cultivated a solo singer-songwriter career; each of his subsequent records has found him moving further from uptempo fare.

Long Story Short, his fifth solo release, is a gently enchanting studio representation of his current live act, the resonant voice accompanied only by his pristine acoustic guitar (or occasional piano) on the disc’s fifteen original compositions. His favorite-shirt voice and mastery of romantic, lilting tunes are organically hitched to a slightly bruised, reflective lyrical overview, often colored by a seductive sense of melancholy. The result is a quiet, soothing respite amid restless times.