Jimi Goodwin - Odludek

Jimi Goodwin hat in diesem Monat einiges zu feiern: definitiv am 28. Mai seinen 44. Geburtstag und vielleicht am heutigen Abend die vierte Meisterschaft seines Lieblingsfußballclubs Manchester City. Vor Ort wird er den Sieg in der Premier League nicht feiern können, denn während des gesamten Monats ist er im Vereinigten Königreich unterwegs. Dort wird der Sänger, Bassist und Gitarrist der Band Doves sicherlich sein erstes Soloalbum "Odludek" vorstellen.

Während die Doves seit fast 4 Jahren ruhen, nahm Goodwin "Odludek" im Verlauf von 18 Monaten im Studio eines Freundes nahezu im Alleingang auf. Zu den wenigen Gästen gehörten neben dem Produzenten Dan Austin, der auch schon an "Kingdom Of Rust" beteiligt war, Fredrik Bjorling (Ex-Dungen), Jake Evans, Joe Roberts, eine Brass-Section und Guy Garvey (Elbow), mit dem zusammen gleich 3 Songs entstanden ("Hope", "Man V Dingo" und "Panic Tree"). 

Auf "Odludek" werden einerseits die Traditionen von Doves weitergeführt ("Oh! Whiskey" beginnt als ruhiger Folk-Song und nähert sich im weiteren Verlauf "There Goes The Fear" an, "Lonely At The Drop" ist ein entfernter Verwandter von "Caught By The River"), andererseits wird bei Titeln wie "Live Like A River" oder "Man V Dingo" neues Terrain beschritten und mit Elementen aus Northern Soul, Gospel, Hip Hop, Krautrock, Folklore, Dub und Funk experimentiert. Diese Mischung zündet leider nicht immer und so finden sich leider meistens eher mediokre Besprechungen.
Aber Gründe zum Feiern hat Jimi Goodwin ja diesen Monat genug... 

Der NME vergibt 7/10 Punkte:

Naturally, with Goodwin being the band's main songwriter and primary singer, there are similarities between this new record – the title of which means 'loner' or 'pilgrim' in Polish – and the band. Fortunately there are also a few surprises, like the rootsy ‘Hope’ and closer ‘Panic Tree’. ‘Oh! Whiskey’ switches mid-song from straightforward strumming to dreamlike swing; ‘Live Like A River' recalls the Haçienda house of Goodwin's previous band Sub Sub; and the off-kilter 'Man V Dingo' makes this far more than Doves' unofficial fifth album. Goodwin could be a solo star yet.

The Guardian kommt auf 3/5 Sterne:

There are big brass stabs and motorik Krautrock grooves; Northern soul organs and Elbow-type massed male vocals. The big dance grooves of Live Like a River and (less successfully) Man vs Dingo cast a wry glance towards the three Doves' early 90s dance act, Sub Sub. However, it's all centred around Goodwin's trademark, doleful, world-weary baritone and twanging melodic bass lines, which may pacify fans wondering whether Doves will ever fly again. There's nothing here as immediately dizzying as that band's There Goes the Fear, Black and White Town et al, but Odludek's charms emerge more gradually. Piano folk stomper Oh! Whiskey convincingly positions the singer as Didsbury's own Nick Drake, while Lonely at the Drop brews up a guitar windstorm. Standout closer Panic Tree is one of the most unusually lovely tracks Goodwin has been involved with: frustration and paranoia delivered via steel drums and what sounds like a Victorian music box.

Drowned in Sound landet bei 6 von 10 Punkte:

‘Live Like A River’ is a good example of when it works well, a propulsive electric riff giving way to a driving rhythm that weaves its way around Goodwin’s vocals, while opener ‘Terracotta Warrior’ starts with sharp blasts of atonal horns, almost teasing at a Doves-like crowd pleaser before veering off towards much more interesting territory. Lead-off single ‘Oh Whiskey’ is probably the most familiar territory here, a gentle acoustic lament with a rousing chorus that shifts focus after three minutes towards a beautiful, melancholic coda. It’s got echoes of the more downbeat shift Doves displayed on Kingdom Of Rust, but there’s also a pastoral vibe that’s all Goodwin’s own.

Elsewhere though, that urge to throw in a few different ingredients can overpower things – ‘Man Vs Dingo’s swinging rhythm and nagging horns clash with Goodwin’s frantic vocals, while closer ‘Panic Tree’ starts wonderfully as a folksy, handspun acoustic number, but is then interrupted by a jaunty piano that seems a little out of place.

They’re only minor moments of distraction on what is a pretty assured album though. Fans of Doves will find plenty that’s familiar – the blissful vibes that ‘Ghost Of The Empties’ builds from, Goodwin’s natural, soft-edged voice – but there’s also moves into more unexpected areas. You get the impression that this is a solo album that’s not the result of any inter-band animosity, simply the creative urges of one member encouraging him back into a studio with a host of interesting ideas. Though occasionally he could have done with his band mates to act as a quality control barometer, overall Odludek shows that Goodwin made the right choice to step back onto the treadmill.