Reviews for Comfort & Joy
Venerated folk-rocker's second completely single-handed album in two years.
Literal solo albums where, in a fit of control-freakery, one artist writes, produces and plays all the
instruments are often dull, enclosed affairs but here, the ex-frontman of Any Trouble and regular
Richard Thompson foil avoids the traps well. Now rooted in Nashville, Gregson's easy melodies
combine with a naturalistic tilt that can deliver both breezy foot-tappers such as Antidote and If I
Was Your Lover, as well as more substantial, emotive tracks - Fingerless Gloves, String of Pearls
and the teary title track which disguises its emotional twist-in-the-tale with one of the melodies of
the year.
**4 STAR**
Rob Beattie
Q , Britain's Biggest Music Magazine
Each song stays in the memory long after the last notes of the album have drifted into the ether,
like old friends absent but not forgotten. In view of Clive's already accomplished C.V. it may come
as a surprise that "Comfort and Joy" contains some of his finest writing to date. It's hard to think of
another British songwriter who can transport you to the heart of the subject with a simple turn of
phrase. Songs such as the charming Antidote alongside the heart warming title track are quite
simply the product of a national treasure at the height of his expertise. If nothing else Gregson is
living proof that, contrary to popular belief, there's more to life than football.
Keith Whitham
Get Rhythm
Just in time for ye Yuletide season comes this latest offering from sickeningly talented
singer-songwriter Clive Gregson.
Clive started out with Any Trouble, then in the mid-80s formed a musical partnership with
Christine Collister that took flight from the folk clubs into the broader arenas of folk-rock, gaining a
solid reputation for consistently high-quality writing and performing. He worked concurrently with
the Richard Thompson Band, all the while polishing his production skills, then during the 90s
released a series of excellent solo albums of which Happy Hour (1999) was his first for Fellside.
Comfort And Joy is difficult to review without repeating what I could have justifiably said about
almost any one of his previous albums. I just don't know how he comes up every time with a
clutch of fantastic new songs, each one with incisive yet appealing lyrics, a memorable melody,
catchy hooks, and a simple yet inventive arrangement each one meticulously crafted, with an acute
pop and folk sensibility.
Oh, and this release is an exception to the Fellside rule in that it was recorded in Nashville and
Clive has retained total artistic control, perfectly comfortable in his role as writer, producer, singer
and player of all instruments (annoyingly well, of course!). Many of the new songs are so
immediate and naturally crafted, they resonate in the mind long after the pictures that are conjured
up by the lyrics. Take the final three tracks for instance - Clive sneakily follows a song entitled
Pretty Peggy-O (not the folk standard!) with one entitled String Of Pearls (not the Glenn Miller!)
that confounds our preconceptions in a typically Gregsonian manner, then the title track starts with
the all-too-familiar line "A holiday, a holiday" then proceeds to transport us far from Matty Groves
(it could be set in Ladbroke Grove) in a heartwarming exploration of contradictory emotions in
another of Clive's typically simple but effective character vignettes. Yes, Clive effortlessly
maintains his high artistic standard with this new album.
David Kidman
Folk Roundabout
Clive has a rich, warm voice in the Gordon Lightfoot / Ralph McTell mould and his songs are
smooth, gentle paced folk rock, all of which are extremely pleasing on the ear. The
Lightfoot/McTell comparisons are most obvious on Frances O'Connor and Antidote and I thought I
detected some John Hiatt on Fingerless Gloves, I'm There for You and It's You I Want to Hold. In
true solo album style Gregson plays and sings everything you hear but it is the quality of his songs
which shines like a beacon.
Steve Ward
Wondrous Stories
The Journal of the Classic Rock Society
Clive Gregson has the uncanny knack of writing great, singable lyrics. Vocally he is no slouch
either with a style and warmth that settles in much the same way as I used to remember listening to
recordings by the likes of Bing Crosby. I also notice from the sleevenotes that there are no
accompanying musicians. Clever or what?
For many years my contemporary folk hero was Ralph McTell and now I've got another. Much
like his previous recording 'People And Places' I can't find anything to fault - ten out of ten!
Pete Fyfe
Various Roots Magazines
This new album is typical Gregson; he wrote all the songs, sang all the vocals, played all the
instruments and produced it in his Nashville studio. The result is a programme of gentle country
songs with a folksy ambiance, beautifully written and performed. Difficult to pick out my favourite
songs, there are so many, but try Frances O'Connor, If I Was Your Lover, White Suit of Notes
and Pretty Peggy-O.
Country Music Round-Up