Brian Wilson - That Lucky Old Sun

Reflective postcard to self…

For this new studio album Brian and his supportive cohorts have added a polished sheen to the ode to Southern California that was first unveiled as a live piece in September 2007. The whole concept appears to be a mixture of an autobiographical journey in the form of an idyllic sun-filled West Coast day.

As a new opus it’s essentially the work of Brian Wilson and co, rather than anything totally driven by the man himself, but it’s no less pleasurable for it. Songs are interspersed with narratives written by Van Dyke Parks and peppered with evocative local SoCal words and reference points that carry through Brian’s gruff delivery. The songs they counterpoint are a mixture of quite acceptable and sweetly sublime: Morning Beat takes us from the 6am haze into the warmth of a new day, and is soon followed by Forever My Surfer Girl, which is reflective of Brian’s musical journey by way of a lovely chorus carried by yearning backing vocals. Oxygen To the Brain is an ode to better lifestyles by way of some self-critical analysis of Wilson’s worst times. Midnight’s Another Day is the high point, with vocals from Brian’s superb band rivalling the best of The Beach Boys, while Going Home is a pleasing mid-tempo rocker as the day draws to its close.

The main Lucky Old Sun theme interweaves among the set, and there are enough reworked motifs from Brian’s past to keep hardcore fans in I-Spy mode. The whole album is carefully guided by those around Brian, notably band member Scott Bennett, whose writing and playing takes a key role in helping produce a very satisfying work. Collaborative in the best sense, rather than the dubious “superstar” ones, if this were to end up being Brian’s last studio album, then it’s probably the most effective that he could manage.

4 stars 4 stars 4 stars 4 stars

EMI/Capitol | 146852

Reviewed by Kingsley Abbott
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