CRADOCK’S CINEMATIC NEW ALBUM

BIRMINGHAM’S Steve Cradock, guitar virtuoso and co-founder of Brit-pop evangelists Ocean Colour Scene, has released an instrumental, lockdowninspired album, writes Stuart Large.

Far from living off the fruits of his past, the Moseley musician continues to be busy. Besides selling out Ocean Colour Scene tours, he joined The Specials in 2015 and has been Paul Weller’s mainstay collaborator for almost 30 years. And A Soundtrack to an Imaginary Movie is his fourth solo album.

How does he spin all these plates? Is there a conscious change of persona for each or does he go with the flow?

‘‘It’s a combination,’’ he tells me. ‘‘I was determined when I joined up with The Specials that I would play the guitar parts as is. It’s similar when playing with Paul – I might add my own style but he’ll tell me what he wants.’’

My subject quickly turns the tables with a ‘‘did you listen to the album?’’. I quote Sarcoline and Cochineal, but it turns out Steve knows them simply by track number.

‘‘I looked up the ten rarest colours and those became the titles,’’ he quips. I’m brave enough to suggest Annatto has a late ‘60s / Albatros-ish vibe to it, and fortunately Steve agrees.

Steve cites the lockdown being the motivation for the album. ‘‘Not having any planes in the sky, you started noticing the birds singing. Not having any agenda was extraordinary.

‘‘I really wrote in that moment. I felt it was music coming through me, which probably sounds quite pretentious but that was a first for me. I think there’s a healing quality in it.’’

A Soundtrack to an Imaginary Movie features a collaboration with saxophonist and UB40 co-founder Brian Travers, who passed last year.

It is out now.