Album Review: Justin Sullivan - “Surrounded”

 

Hard to believe but despite the fact that it's now 38 years since New Model Army released their classic debut album Vengeance, this is only the second solo album from their frontman Justin Sullivan. Written and recorded during lockdown, it's an incredibly sparse effort yet somehow manages to be one of the most lush and expansive albums I've heard this year, an album that I guarantee you'll happily lose yourself in for weeks.

Surrounded is a storyteller's album and this is something that Sullivan has always excelled at in his day job. Tellingly it was written during the lockdown when we were all suddenly given a lot more time to reflect on ourselves and the world at large and the lyrical themes bear this out. The arrangements are sparse, usually just an acoustic guitar and maybe some electronica or strings so often to add to the atmosphere but in the context of the songs it works perfectly, allowing the vocals and the story to bleed into the foreground where they grab your attention and stubbornly refuse to let go.

The beguiling likes of Amundsen, Sea Again and Stone And Heather are fine songs indeed, exactly the sort of things you'll find yourself coming back to time and again as Sullivan weaves a tale around the gentle melodies, sometimes comforting, sometimes disturbing but never anything less than fully captivating with the stories varying from the personal (1975, 28th May) to those elsewhere who have stories to tell (Akistan, Unforgiven).

At sixteen tracks and over an hour, this is an album that you may need to go through in two or three instalments rather than one go, certainly given the richness of the music here and how much there is to digest in the lyrics. But that's not a complaint, more a compliment on just how much effort has clearly gone into here to breathtaking effect.

Like I say, Surrounded isn't easy listening by any stretch of the imagination but it's an album that's almost impossible to put down with so much to take in that you'll find yourself coming back to it time after time, be that in small bursts or maybe on a quiet afternoon or evening when you can find the time to appreciate it as a whole. Either way, it's a fantastic effort and well deserving of your attention. 

NITE SONGS RATING: 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑 (9/10)

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