Martyn Joseph

★★★★ 1960 PIPE. CD/DL

Self-searching reflections from an old school troubadour reflecting on his sixth decade.

GREETING A significant birthday as an invitation to take stock of all that’s gone before and how it could all have been different is hardly an original concept, but Martyn Joseph’s trawl through his past darkly has injected refreshed magic into his songwriting. There’s plenty of self-doubt (“I’m not effortless, I’m not cool, not a day goes by when I don’t feel a fool,” he sings on Trying To Grow); Born Too Late speaks of Joni Mitchell, Art Garfunkel, Josephine Baker and opportunities missed; and Shadow Boxing paints poignant pictures of childhood and a father fading with Alzheimer’s. Yet none of it is maudlin or self-pitying – Joseph is far too canny for that, delivering engaging melodies with rugged intensity. This 23rd studio album in a career spanning four decades carries genuine emotional clout alongside its nostalgic observations and must count as one of his best.