A collection of gentle folk strums, characterised by some interesting noddlesome embellishments and, in places, cinematic orchestration, Yusuf Azak's debut is whimsical and sweetly soothing.
'Your Story' introduces 'Turn on the Long Wire' with a breezy flicker of gentle, upbeat folk that skips along pleasantly. Something about the chorus niggled me for a while though, as it reminded me of something else. Finally, about two songs later, the penny dropped: 'Goodbye Yellow Brick Road; by Elton 'a baby is for life, even if it is for Christmas' John. I know Elton's become something of a touchstone for boy bands and dodgy white rappers in recent years, but for Yusuf's sake I only hope the similarity is coincidental.
'Time to Kill' features a Beatles-like melody and brings strings into the mix to imbue the song with a classic bittersweet feeling, and contrasts nicely with the dreamy pop of 'The Key Underground,' which is a clear standout. In fact, across the nine songs on 'Turn on the Long Wire', Glasgow-based Aberdonian Yusuf Azak has a deftness of touch and a lightness of tone that's quite charming, and shows a range that extends the parameters of acoustic folk in unusual directions. When he does ostensibly play it straight, as on 'Eastern Sun' and the title track, it's well executed, and infused with a slightly psychedelic hue that sets Azak's music apart from his countless clone peers.
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So, having gone on record only a matter of days ago complaining that I've had a gutful of folky singer-songwriters, I have to admit that this album, which is as short as it is sweet, marks the exception.
Yusuf Azak on MySpace
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