What does it sound like?:
There is a pall of sadness that hangs over this album. Mac Davis, who wrote or co-wrote these songs with Girelli, died in 2020 aged 78, and the work dates back six years before then. Davis was a veteran songwriter, performer and actor. He wrote A Little Less Conversation and In The Ghetto for Elvis Presley. He had a long songwriting career, including songs performed by Nancy Sinatra, Kenny Rogers, Louis Jordan, Helen Reddy, Perry Como, Bobby Goldsboro, and, more recently, Bruno Mars and the Swedish DJ Avicii. Nevertheless, it’s Country music that flowed through his Texan veins. Girelli is from Otley, West Yorkshire and more than forty years younger. He started off in Indie Rock bands as melodramatic as Radiohead or U2. He’s always loved the big heartbreak songs of the fifties and sixties, decades before he was born, thrown in with some Springsteen and opera. A performance on Letterman brought him to Davis’s attention and soon they were writing together, prompting Girelli to changed direction towards emotionally charged songs of the Rock & Roll era set in the wild Yorkshire Dales. His solo debut in 2018, Love Kills, represented an artistic awakening, leaning towards a cinematic folk Americana that then led to a successful career in musical theatre.
The soul of this album is country, not the country of sin and redemption, grinding poverty, and constant flirtation with death, but the country of unrequited love, broken hearts and crumbling dreams. The guitars are layered to add emotional depth and lachrymose pedal steel underlines the sorrow. These songs were intended to be duets and KT Tunstall, Jaime Wyatt and Cassandra Lewis provide foils on three of them. Mostly, Girelli is conversing with himself, Davis a ghost off mic until the bonus track. I Wanna Make Love, possibly his last recording, is disturbingly lusty for a man in his late seventies.
Davis was obviously captivated by Girelli’s voice. He has an astonishing ability to hit and hold a note within a similar operatic range to Roy Orbison. However, he lacks the same kind of life experience to match the intensity and sonorous authority, but, then, who does? These songs are certainly well crafted to give Girelli plenty of opportunities to soar but the sombre mood settles like a stubborn morning mist. The melodies are ruminative rather than gripping. Individually, each track has its merits but, one after another after another becomes cloying. Sadly, the guest vocalists don’t provide enough light to offset the shade.
What does it all *mean*?
Out Of This Town is best experienced on a playlist with other artists, the odd track popping up unexpectedly. Listening to the whole album requires a certain frame of mind that might cause your loved ones to worry.
Goes well with…
Streaming services.
Release Date:
29/08/2025
Might suit people who like…
Earnest and pained Americana.
Lost To The River (featuring KT Tunstall)
That’s pretty immense. I love the way he has the ability to deliver those soars, those huge melodic rises above the strum and flow of the underlying sequence. His voice does it all so effortlessly, making the very tonal climb and fall the thing, something that could have been ruined by, say, a melodramatic look-at-me Rufus Wainwright over elaboration. I also like the fact that it’s that very vocal intensity alone that keeps the listener’s attention; the familiar series of intervals from the guitar seem to promise a break, a drop, but it never happens, we are carried along on the lyric until it sighs and finishes with a sorry fall of the shoulders. I can easily see why a full album of this might be difficult to take in one sitting, and I think your suggestion that the songs – if there are more like this one – would perhaps function best as a leavening of torrid intensity across a wider, more balanced selection. I am eagerly following this up, thanks for the alert; it’s been a along time since I bought anything on Sun!
That is a lovely positive response. I’m glad you enjoyed it.
You should explore the whole album. I suspect it’s right up your street.
“Listening to the whole album requires a certain frame of mind that might cause your loved ones to worry”
Sounds like my kinda thing, Tiggs…and I really like the sample above.
I too find the combination of the description and the deliciously retro sleeve enormously enticing. Given my loved ones have long worried about my listening choices, that phrase alone captures my interest. A listen and the Orbison compare is loud and clear, but late Orbison, of the style he was promising shortly ahead his death.
Looking around, as I do, I see his earlier works, including Love Kills, are all on Bandcamp.
This sounds really interesting Tigger
I’m going to play it in a couple of minutes after listening to a recommendation from a friend
I see what you mean about the guest vocalists ‘providing enough light’ I didn’t detect Ms Tunstall’s voice anywhere but I wasn’t actually listening for it
Streaming? Nah, this has to be listened to on a vinyl LP and hopefully I will be doing so tomorrow
That’s two great discoveries in one week via the stuffy and smoky Afterword lounge Brigitte Calls Me Baby and now Coyle Girelli whose name brings to mind those desolate Yorkshire Moors doesn’t it
A great review Tigger for which you are deservedly renowned
Thank you. Vinyl should be fine but have a break at half time. Just like we used to in the old days. 😉
Lightweights, cuh!
The advent of the CD made it harder to listen to Tales From Topographic Oceans, for example. 🤗
Oh, I don’t know about that…
Flashes past in no time. Only wish it were longer running.
Topographic Oceans was never an easy listen. I have ordered this cd actually after being prompted by @Pyramid before I saw your review. Might have to wait a few weeks for it to arrive though.
Excellent review, Tigger, and I really enjoyed “Lost to the River”.
The name Mac Davis only meant a couple of things to me before today:
1. I knew he wrote “In the Ghetto”
2. He got the worst savaging of any artist in Dave Marsh’s “New Rolling Stone Record Guide”. I quote: “Davis has done more to set back the cause of popular music in recent years than any other single figure”.
Charming!
I always liked Dave Marsh. 😲
Hey Tigger, I played the LP 3 times yesterday
“Out Of This Town is best experienced on a playlist with other artists the odd track popping up unexpectedly. Listening to the whole album requires a certain frame of mind that might cause your loved ones to worry” – honestly I don’t know why think that the only way to listen to this album is play Side A then flip it over and play Side B then repeat
‘cause your loved ones to worry’ 😂😂😂
Wonderful!
I’m delighted you are enjoying it and relieved my review didn’t put you off.
…. Are you feeling okay?
😃
A pair of tickets for next Thursdays (9th) show at The Lexington in London gave been offered – anyone who is interested PM me.