To
those of us, like myself, who have followed the Eves since their glorious
heyday; since the comparatively dizzy heights of multi-platinum albums,
sell-out shows at The Royal Albert Hall, and the nation's music press
seeming to hang upon each nuance of Julianne¹s every gesture and
softly spoken word, the release of this CD cements what has been a return
few of us could ever have predicted. Not so much a comeback as a carefully
orchestrated resurfacing to test uncertain waters, the sudden burst
of activity by one of the most visually and aurally striking bands of
a decade ago has been greeted with not only rapturous approval by those
who had thought the band had gone forever, but also with a collective
sigh of relief. For, with a string of acoustic dates stretching back
to the beginning of the year, All About Eve have returned to remind
us, indeed convince us once more, that music can contain the elements
which have cynically been shed by an industry increasingly dominated
by image and profit: intelligent, thoughtful songwriting; a band still
prepared to treat its audience with the same consideration we extend
to them; and songs which, even to this day, still somehow have that
elusive quality of cutting through the smoke and chatter to steal our
attention. Fairy Light Nights, All About Eve's first release since the criminally-ignored and roundly misunderstood Ultraviolet of 1992, is a recording of stripped-down cuttings from the band¹s short and yet eventful history. Recorded at a variety of intimate venues played during the first half of 2000, this welcome release sees Julianne, Andy and Marty choosing a brave path with which to re-introduce themselves to their ever-attentive audience. There are no layers of electric guitar with which to hide any first night nerves, no crashing drums nor soaring keyboard lines to distract from any anticipation they may be feeling; just three musicians prepared to present themselves without an ounce of the pretence so common amongst their peers, playing a selection of songs for their eager audience as though they had never been away. Financial considerations aside, it is a courageous decision to lay themselves bare in this way. But then, All About Eve have always gone where their hearts took them.
What Kind Of Fool and Martha¹s Harbour both retain that exquisite balance between melancholy and metaphor that marked them out as two of the most personal songs on the band¹s debut album, while In The Clouds and Shelter From The Rain both take us all back to former times in our lives; when romance was new, and our imaginations merely informed us what was within our reach. Julianne, as ever the focus, and with her voice rising with effortless duty above a pattern of guitar strings, dares us to remember the people we were. She projects herself like in times gone by; charming us with both the elegance of her range and the brightness of her humour. Andy and Marty provide the acoustic backbone of the songs. While their skill is obvious and consistently evident, their enthusiasm for their artistry remains undiminished by the scale of the settings in which they are playing. Indeed, they seem to revel in them.
