SAPPHIRE

It's barely a month since I more than hinted that I was done reviewing JOHN MARTYN for the time being, but i the interim I missed his voice, even his 1980s voice, which to his credit had not slipped in the slightest, anecdotal proof that overindulgence is good for the vocal chords, but I digress. I not only missed him, but I missed hearing something new to my ears, so I took "Sapphire" for a spin.

The title track is a masterpiece of sensuality, and it reeled me right in like a "Fisherman's Dream", the other major highlight here. He continues in the slick pop funk vein of "Well Kept Secret" with nary a guitar solo of note, but this is an album of wall to wall ballads (other than the best forgotten "Climb the Walls") rather than intermittent rockers. The net result from a satisfaction standpoint is about the same unfortunately, a mediocre album that, in spite of itself, offers a few unignorable gems. "Over the Rainbow" is fine and perhaps better live but it's hard for me to be excited about a cover of a number from nearly a century ago that really can never be improved upon, and can't really be re- interpreted because the lyrics, universal though they may be, will be forever pinned to our beloved Dorothy. If I had to name another not terrible entry, it would be "Watching Her Eyes" for its irresistible synth hook.

Falling quite short of being a diamond in the smooth, "Sapphire" does reaffirm Martyn's ability, up to this point and at his worst, to remain redeemable. Well, apart from "The Tumbler" of course.

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