A third solo album from the legendary “pub rocker” who gave his name to perhaps the premier “pub rock” band and who was an integral member of The Rumour who started off as Graham Parker’s backing band finds this veteran in a soulful and bluesy mood. Shouting At The Moon follows in the footsteps of its predecessors, 2016’s Unexpected and 2021’s Tangled when Schwarz returned to recording after a lengthy lay off. It’s rooted in a laid back, almost world weary, nod to classic rock music, the good stuff mind you, the laid back grooves of Van Morrison, Peter Green’s brief return to recording, snatches of J.J. Cale and a brief nod to the sly funk of Steely Dan.
The combination of Hammond organ and Rhodes piano (played by album producer James Hallawell) and Schwarz’ fluid guitar are the bedrock of the album, heard to best effect on The Chance, a gloriously infectious slice of funk although it’s almost eclipsed by the Little Feat like syncopation on Hard To Change (About Things Not Likely To Ever Happen), a political fable which imagines foes finding common ground.
The album opens with a song which captures the sunnier side of Van Morrison on Every Day, a fine strum along song with some inspired sax solos from Simon Taylor while the following What In The World is the song which has inspired the Steely Dan comparison we noted above, However, we’d add that there’s a fine hint of Mose Allison and also Ben Sidran in its groove. Falling Over Backwards warms the soul with its hint of sophisticated blues, think of B.B. King with The Crusaders and you are halfway there.
As on Tangled, Schwarz covers a song by his long time companion Graham Parker. Watch The Moon Come Down. Warmer than the original, Parker’s original sense of isolation is now somewhat elegiac and graced with a fine dose of nostalgia. The album closes with It’s Been A Long Year, a yearning guitar and organ inflected elegy which addresses the issue of climate change in a heartfelt manner.
