Album Review: Our Man in the Field - Silverado
SILVERADO, the 3rd studio album from English outfit Our Man in the Field, is a carefully crafted project uncapped for a literate articulate listener to choose a level of engagement. It unravels as a vivid portrait of a distant love affair with an attempt to separate the culture from the ills. Alex Ellis wears the OMITF hat to channel his musical whims enlisting a core support alongside opportunistic openings. This latest release is a fully fledged slate of Anglo Americana encompassing Ellis’s infatuation with all things American from its music heritage to longstanding influences in the world of film, TV, lifestyle and literature. Maybe the time is right to re-enforce the good within a keen message of intent.
The album has had a long lead in via previews, live airings, much chatter and a dual release. A 10-track digital version was released on 25th September, now followed by a 23rd October unveiling on CD and vinyl. The revised offering boosts the running time to a hefty 69 minutes and a renewed complement of 13 tracks. Underpinning the album is the opportunity to record in Mark Knopfler’s British Grove studio under the stewardship of Dire Straits legendary player Guy Fletcher. Joining resident Our Man in the Field players, including the newly recruited Matt Owens of Noah and the Whale fame, are lauded outsiders such as Ethan Johns playing drums, Hall of Fame guitarist Sonny Landreth and iconic British soul singer P.P. Arnold. The result is a masterly flow of evenly tempered music bridging lo-fi funk folk with causal soul tilted in a Caledonian direction as per the style of contemporary associate Blue Rose Code. Some have assimilated the effect to that of Van Morrison, yet association lies within the ears of the beholder.
At the core of Ellis’s vocals are a refusal to shed their Teeside origins, while finding a groove-laden pitch.They offer a distinct perspective rooting the sound in provincial relatability rather than a generic lilt. The album is part of a wider project fuelled by artistic enlightenment. The lyrics ferment into a literary experience projecting one person’s profound musings. The songs are an array of stories, thoughts and feelings capturing a compulsive outlook.
Three tracks from the original format still reflect the peak of the listen - ‘Silverado’, ‘Doing Alright’ and ‘Don’t Think’. The three extra tracks - ‘War of the Worlds’, ‘Mistakes’ and ‘Down in the Barrio’ - add an extended dimension shoring up a substantive effort.
A smooth soundtrack eases the navigation of SILVERADO’s complex makeup where thoughtful pickings are revealed along the highways traversed. Moments of organic groove intersperse with a retrospective mood. You emerge from the immersion aligned with its ideals and refreshed from its bold manoeuvres. Whether you wrestle with the obvious obsession or let its charismatic charm gently soothe, worth blows in the accompanying winds, either from a Texas or Teeside direction. The fabric of Our Man in the Field’s output continues to offer different shades. A propensity to record albums built for multiple listens marks them as an act of note.
