Dave
Gahan & Soulsavers – Angels & Ghosts (Columbia)
LP
/ CD / DL
Out
Now
9
/ 10
The
second album from Dave Gahan and Soulsavers.
For someone who came from
the shadows of songwriting as recently as 2003 with his first solo album Paper
Monsters, Dave Gahan has shown that there is more to him than being the
vocalist and front-man of Depeche Mode.
His first outing with
Soulsavers came on their 2012 album The Light The Dead See and showed a different
side of Gahan. In the wake of Depeche
Mode’s very average Sounds Of The Universe album it showed that all was not
lost and its critical acclaim was well deserved. The next Mode album, Delta Machine was
undoubtedly the finest vocal performance of his career, the gravelled blues of
the collection suited him perfectly and the album was hailed as the bands
finest.
Now re-branded as Dave
Gahan & Soulsavers, Angels & Ghosts is the new offering. It continues maybe where the previous
Soulsavers album left off, but also has big blues influences. Gahan’s voice has leapt up another
notch. This is an album of feeling and
passion and undoubted class.
It’s no pop album. In fact, much of the album centres around moodiness
and feelings of haunting darkness as lead single, All Of This And Nothing
proclaims - “there’s a ghost outside my window haunting me”. Not surprisingly, the first taste of the
album is the most commercially acceptable and perhaps the way to draw in an
audience, and if they’re prepared for intensely atmospheric tracks then they’re
in for a treat.
The core of Soulsavers,
Rich Machin and Ian Glover has struck gold pairing their sound with Gahan
too. Their ambient sound which rises to
near meteoric proportions is perfect for the voice, and Angels & Ghosts
dispels the ‘difficult second album’ with Gahan easily. Their
rock/gospel/country blend plucks away at anyone’s inner self and anyone that
enjoys music for the ‘feel’ is going to be impressed.
Perhaps imagine that the
album that (theoretically) killed Gahan, Songs Of Faith And Devotion has been
gnawed at, swallowed and regurgitated.
References to God, Jesus and the Devil are a plenty and sides of Gahan
that maybe haven’t emerged in previous recordings are here for all to
witness. Don’t Cry, a possible future
single is again catchy and a grower (as is the whole album) and starts slowly
growing into an anthemic singalong.
The piano led Lately is a
dramatic slow-down with some quite heartfelt words and occasional guitar strums
with angelic backing vocals. It
skilfully avoids the temptation to move up-tempo and remains an almost heart
stopping piece of music.
From the opening tones of
first track Shine, an intense slab of powerful delta blues to the phoenix like
My Sun rising from nothing to encompass rolling drums and passionate string
sections, Angels Ghosts not only proves that there is life in the old
Gahan yet, but that he may also have found a partnership that will bear rich
fruits for the picking in many years to come.
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