Having previously been hailed as a "Canadian Nick Lowe" and worked up an impressive, power pop-saturated back catalaogue, DAVE RAVE may not immediately strike you as someone liable to be involved in an accomplished, jazz-pop album. Yet - in tandem with guitarist/ arranger MARK McCARRON - that's exactly what he's turned in courtesy of 'In The Blue Of My Dreams'.
Of course, long-term Rave watchers will already know Dave is both a hugely talented and enthusiastic character who has struck gold via a wide variety of collaborative ventures over the past couple of decades. Indeed, for the uninitiated, I'd suggest checking out both the 'Anthology: Vol 2: The Cool Tunes' and the diverse 'Valentino's Pirates' albums for a schooling into Rave's eclectic modus operandi before you dip a toe into these less familiar, but largely soothing jazzy waters.
Subtlety is predominantly the watchword here. Instead of going for the full Nelson Riddle, McCarron utilises mostly woodwind and a dusting of strings to emphasise the bass/drums/ piano framework and - when it really hangs together - it works a treat. Gloriously-realised opener 'At The End Of The Day' is a resigned ballad of the first water swept along by a gorgeous arrangement and a beautifully craggy vocal from Rave. It's without question the finest thing here and surely something to rank among the best things Rave has ever put his name to.
Initially, you get real excited when the tracks following through in its' slipstream (the superbly-scored, late evening chill of 'In Strange Cities' and tricky guitar figures of the more recognisably Rave 'Bad Day') also triumph effortlessly, but from hereon the album hits something of a sticky patch. Yes, the sparse guitar, minimal woodwind and scene-setting melody of McCarron's instrumental 'Stranded' could almost be from Scott Walker's under-rated 'Til The Band Comes In', but the relentlessly introspective nature of a whole clutch of tracks such as 'Face', the dreamy 'Shine' and the avant-garde-ish 'Sunday Tears' becomes hard to stomach after a while.
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Thankfully, the album drags itself out of its' mid-section sag shortly after. 'Something Here Happens' is one of the more distinctly jazzy outings here, but picks up the pace when it's really required and is served well by both a commanding Rave vocal and a swinging arrangement. Though subtle and lush, 'Sunday In The Blue Of My Dreams' continues the rearguard action and a late peak is scaled courtesy of the tender 'They Held Hands', which - thanks to McCarron's rippling guitar and an enchanting flourish of orchestration - almost squares up to the exquisite 'At The End Of Day'.
They go the whole hog and sign off with a version of Oscar Hammerstein's 'The Song Is You' that's somehow both cheeky and reverential all at once. It's the width of a planet away from what you'd normally equate with Dave Rave, but audacious enough to succeed for all that, which - in itself - could be a soundbite to describe 'In The Blue Of My Dreams' as a whole. It's a departure, for sure, but not without its' subtle strengths and one you may well find yourself embracing in the future. Dave Rave's 'Juliet Letters' then? Stranger things have happened.
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