Review Summary: An emotional tour de force that takes you on a journey of love, hardship and heartbreak.
A wonderful album written by a truly gifted singer/songwriter and I consider myself blessed to have listened to such beautiful and honest music from one of the UK's
Wow.
What can a listener say that's a greater compliment to a songwriter than wow?
Having been a fan of InMe since their inception and a massive fan of Dave McPherson's solo work, I eagerly awaited the digital download of new album "Living Life Without The F". The release by Dave of the first track from the album "Something Bad" last week did nothing to quell my hunger - it only made it ten times stronger.
The album arrived in my inbox this afternoon and I eagerly downloaded it and set about listening.
It is clear from the outset that Dave has poured his heart and soul into every single song on the album. Nothing on here is fiction - it's all written from personal experience and feelings which makes it all the more incredible. I was captivated from start to finish - I can't remember the last time an album mesmerised me like this and by the end I was an emotional mess.
Particular standout tracks are Something Bad which essentially is Dave telling a girl that he's not good enough for her and that she should move on. It's hard stuff and really pulls on your heart strings which is seldom seen these days. Professional Help is a poignant and uplifting song which also has a stark reality to it about drinking to compensate for loss and the break up of a relationship. Our Final Song which closes out the album is possibly one of the most incredible love songs I've ever heard. It's the end of a relationship and Dave pours everything into it which quite honestly left me in tears and reminded me of past pain and heartache. It's really honest stuff and I personally commend him for being so brutally honest and open about a subject that is clearly painful.
The lyrics are - as usual for Dave McPherson - very very honest and convey every emotion on the spectrum. The guitar work is haunting, exciting and perfectly on key - marry the two together and you have a powerhouse emotional album that I truly believe to be one of the best albums I have ever listened to. No album has ever hit me emotionally like Living Life Without The F and I highly doubt another will ever come along that has the same impact on me. Every little riff, every chord, every bounce of melody is greeted by Dave's trademark singing, ranging from low to falsetto which seems effortless. It's the magnus opus of an artist who is clearly at the top of his game and just set the bar that much higher.
