Archive Review: Dave Cousins’ The Boy In The Sailor Suit (2007)

It’s been 35 years since Dave Cousins, singer and primary songwriter for British folk-rock legends the Strawbs, recorded a solo album. It’s not that he lacked anything to say – his band has released a dozen albums during that time. No, The Boy In the Sailor Suit is the father Cousins never knew, smiling down at him from a photograph, the album itself a reflection on the past and the fleeting nature of relationships. 

“The Smile You Left Behind” is a memoir of his parent’s courtship, a gentle musical background framing Cousins’ creaky vocals. “Skip To My Lou,” based on the familiar childhood song, is a tale of love lost, haunted by Ian Cutler’s enchanted fiddling and guitarist Miller Anderson’s imaginative leads. Cousins’ intricate wordplay is on display throughout, the album offering a balance of acoustic folk and electric rock, an appropriate soundtrack for this lyrical celebration of life and love. (Witchwood Records UK, released 2007)

Review originally published by Harp magazine...