ROSALIE CUNNINGHAM
Two Piece Puzzle CHERRY RED
A masterclass in form and style from prog’s psych queen.
To borrow a phrase from ancient Rome, via the Royal Air Force motto, the second solo album from former Purson frontwoman Rosalie Cunningham proves the truth behind the expression ‘per ardua ad astra’: through hardships to the stars. Unable to work with her band during the pandemic, during which the artist contracted Covid, Cunningham created her new record working in isolation with her partner Rosco Levee, hence the Two Piece Puzzle of the title. Yet despite the restrictions imposed by the lockdown, Cunningham sounds inspired throughout.
The psychedelic flavours of Purson and Cunningham’s
2019 solo debut still permeate the new music, but in terms of the compositions and sounds found on the album, The
Beatles and Queen seem to be key points of reference. Listening to the piano parts in Duet and The Liner Notes, it’s easy to think of Billy Preston with The Beatles, while
Trististia Amnesia channels Ringo’s fat, thuddy drum sound from Come Together and the droning intro has the eastern vibe of the sitar-powered Within You Without You.
Cunningham has always displayed an enviable ear for a melody, but she has surpassed herself here. She packs ideas into every tune and seems fully fluent and at ease operating in a range of styles, switching tempos and feels within a single composition without ever throwing the listener off the trail. Donovan Ellington and Donny Part Two tell the story of a blacksmith running away to seek his fame and fortune and would be comfortably at home on Queen’s Night At The Opera with their mix of rock, folk, and musical theatre. Fairport Convention’s Ric Sanders brings out the sea shanty qualities of Donny Part Two with his jaunty fiddle playing.
Duet is a mid-album highlight with Levee and Cunningham sharing the vocal duties in a song carried along on a cheerful bouncing piano that morphs into a trippy, psychedelic guitar workout. Suck Push Bang Blow delivers a hefty glam rock stomp and boasts a gloriously fuzzed-out garage rock guitar solo, before the album wraps up with the brilliant The Liner Notes. This one draws on a laid-back lounge feel, a reminder that alongside psychedelia, the 60s were swinging, but then the song shifts gears into a rock beat before a fabulously catchy mid-section that Paul McCartney would be proud to call his own.
Two Piece Puzzle is an album that will amply reward the listener’s fullest attention in appreciating both the skilfulness of the compositions and Cunningham’s witty, occasionally surreal lyrics. This promises to be one of the early musical landmarks of 2022.
DESPITE RESTRICTIONS, CUNNINGHAM SOUNDS INSPIRED THROUGHOUT.