It’s hard to believe how much Graham Gouldman has given us. Back in the 1960s he wrote such iconic hits as “For Your Love” for the Yardbirds and “Bus Stop” for The Hollies and a host of other great songs. Then in the 1970s he was one of the four talented guys that made up 10cc, contributing to hits like “I’m Not in Love” and “The Things We Do For Love.” I remember being so blown away by “For Your Love” when first heard it on Vancouver FM radio station CFMI’s annual ‘BC 500’ marathon of the top rock and roll songs in 1980 that I immediately hopped a bus to Kootenay Loop to visit a used record shop that specialized in re-issued oldies 45s. I’d barely gotten home with the single when CFMI played “Heart Full of Soul” and I was back on the bus! Over the decades Gouldman has accumulated an impressive catalogue of material, covered expertly by himself and others.
And now he’s back with a whole album of fab new material on the just released Modesty Forbids. One hardly knows where to start applying the praise. “Standing Next To Me” melodically immortalizes his time playing with Ringo Starr’s All Starr Band, while “That’s Love Right There” hits all the right British musical hall notes, and I haven’t even gotten to the exquisite collaboration with Bill Lloyd, “What Time Won’t Heal,” a surefire hit in my view. But rather than a full album review (part of which I have sneakily inserted here as prelude), I really just wanted to bring one particular song from this album to your attention. To be sure, if you’ve liked what has gone before in the Graham Gouldman musical universe, you won’t be disappointed with any part of this new album. But to me, the album’s final cut is a particular treat. With its spare jazzy/folkie acoustic guitar arrangement and lovely light vocal touches, “New Star” is just a delightful, positive little track, evidence that this old pro has got a few more surprises left in the bag.
New Star
Modesty Forbids is available now from that swinging cool UK label, Lojinx. Find out more about the new album from interviews with Graham and his website.
