Quietly, without too much fuss, Joe Chester has become one of the finest songwriters in the country. The critical acclaim that met his two solo records might be a half-forgotten memory but three years on, She Darks Me is ready to remind us of his immense ability.
It starts with an unpromising premise – a set of songs based on the short stories he deemed not good enough to print, all focusing on the different stages of a relationship. It’s a measure of his talent as lyricist, melodist and producer that he pulls the trick off. Each of the nine originals carry the kind of tunes that other bands would kill for – an insidiously catchy chorus is always a mere minute away. With a voice like a tempered Rufus Wainwright, stripped of theatricality and lowered a pitch or two, it would still sound good if he was singing the phonebook. That said, it’s the lyrics that keep you coming back time and again. Themes of jealousy, heartbreak and desire are given a fresh twist, his mature outlook mixed with images of murder, villains and “sistine chapel faces”. It is stirring stuff.
The music augments it all expertly. Chester’s mastery of the studio is evident, from the acoustic guitars that sound like they were pinched from ‘Go Your Own Way’ and matured in a casket, to the muted piano and atmospheric washes. A roll-call of esteemed musicians lend a hand, including Steve Wickham of The Waterboys. Chester would have it that it’s all one take, completely live, but irrespective, She Darks Me is elegant, measured and all the better for it. Well-placed sonic highlights creep up intermittently – the exuberant backing vocals employed at the end of ‘Heart Of Stone’ being just one of many. As first single ‘Napoleon Bonaparte’ has it, “Some people run for years and never get caught.” High time the listening public caught up with Joe Chester. It might be an unrealistic dream – who knows? – but She Darks Me has all the makings of a sleeper hit.