Having escaped unscathed from You’re a Star, former Beach member Fran King has put together his second album, over which hovers the ghost of Paul McCartney. Like much of Macca’s work, it is heavy on cute melodies and safe arrangements.
The gentle jazz-lite opener ‘All About Me’ has sweet pop harmonies and a gentle East Coast ‘60s swagger. ‘The Note’, ‘Til We Die’ and the attractively-flawed ‘Fool’s Gold’ all evoke McCartney at his prettiest, with ‘Father And Son’ owing a debt of gratitude towards the great man’s ‘Put It There’. ‘I’ve Got a Feeling’ (not the Beatles song) is, ironically, more reminiscent of James Taylor, moving up a gear to explore a country-rock vein, and the instrumental title-track has an appealingly hypnotic Spanish flavour.
King’s raw voice on ‘Chasing Stars’, ‘No Remorse (I Feel Every Word)’ and the waltzing ballad ‘Upstream’ make you wish he’d showcase his vocals more often. With My Sweet Elixir he has veered clear of indie-rock to create an album that takes few musical risks and plays well within the guidelines. At times it makes for delightful undiluted pop, while at others it’s drizzled with too much saccharine.