Keith Henderson CD of the week
Although Brimful of Asha is the track which has catapulted Cornershop to fame, the album is more than just one funky pop tune and a couple of mediocre bits and pieces to make up a complete album.
Rather, When IWas Born for the 7th Time could easily be heralded as British pop’s saving grace and, in fact, has been by a large portion of the British music press.
The ideal way to describe the album would be to quote a title of one of the tracks: Funky Days Are Back Again. This seems to be the philosophy of Tjinder Singh and his crew and the album is one feel-good trip from the first track to the last.
Expertly interwoven and smoothly composed, it slides in and out of what can be described as a perpetually pleasant summer’s day with the odd breeze cooling things down now and again.
The great thing about the album is its eclectic nature -from the country twang of Good to Be on the Road Back Home Again, through the sitah-driven It’s Indian Tobacco My Friend and on to the trip-hop and drum and bass of Candyman and State Troopers, this album begs to be played over and over again. It’s always a pleasure to listen to an album that needs no track skipping and this is definitely one of those.
Like the band itself, 7th Time defies definition and celebrates the pure joy of being able to appreciate the most diverse nature of sound and humanity.
So head on out and find this album, then sit back and give it a spin. At the end of it all, you’re bound to have a better soul for it -and that’s exactly what the point really is.