GRACE AND DANGER

While JOHN MARTYN was many things over his lengthy career, up until 1980 one of those was never polished, let alone slick. With the enlistment of PHIL COLLINS who was about to attain massive audiences on at least 2 fronts, he here enters the realm of light jazz and sophisticated R&B tinged pop, still with a degree of experimentation but mostly salvaged by a few of his best numbers and a massively talented backing band, with special kudos to keyboardist TOMMY EYRE whose credit list was like a CVS receipt even by this early date.

I admit it's happened before that my first reaction to a MARTYN recording was "yuck", and on a few occasions it was also my last, but here my initial distaste was due to leader and band waking up only after track 3. "Johnny Too Bad" reminds me of a few of PETE BARDENS' poppier vocal tracks of the 1990s, bouncy, catchy, and at the very least a funky guilty pleasure. This is followed 2 equally appealing numbers: the popular ballad "Sweet Little Mystery" and the spacier ballad "Hurt in Your Heart". "Save Some for Me" is more upbeat with innovative rhythms. Hooks abound.

This was released as MARTYN's marriage to Beverley was either disintegrating or had already had the plug pulled, but it doesn't sound much less dour or more cheerful than most of his other efforts from a tumultuous decade of that relationship, the unsavory details about which you can read elsewhere. It's not quite "One World" nor does it even try to be. It's more a case of grace under pressure.