Biog
Where David Ogilvy's first two albums, 2001's 'Like It Is' and 2004's 'Mockingbird', found their geographical axis in some imagined sleepy Mexican border town, the Scottish American's third offering, 'Heaven and Earth', sees the porch swing traded for a barstool, set stage-right in a long neglected yet supremely exclusive members bar where velvet rules over plaid, night over day, and town over country.
'Heaven and Earth' was recorded piecemeal over the course of a year - in between the writing of a mass for a Soho based gospel choir for a performance in Westminster Cathedral, and the producing and co-writing of an acclaimed album for Anglo American singer songwriter, Christina Kulukundis. The multi-instrumentalist, rated by The Times as "West London's J.J. Cale", gathered together the same collective of journeymen (and women) musicians from his first two outings and set about putting 'Heaven and Earth' to tape.
Once again, Ogilvy's years as an in demand pop writer, producer and session musician do away with any superfluous studio trickery and allow the songs to heard crystal clear against their slick, tempered and understated accompaniment. The recurring themes of grounded reality versus the ongoing probing of spirituality filter through most loudly on 'Road Map', a soul-backed hillbilly call for divine intervention that lurches harmoniously from banjo to bongos. Elsewhere, album opener, 'Stick Around', pays homage to a decadent yet sadly departed friend in the style of a 'Woman Soon' period Neil Diamond, while the soul of troubled lone drinker is briefly inhabited for a haunting waltz on 'No Fear'.
Ogilvy's love of Bob Dylan gets a further airing with his take on 'I Pity the Poor Immigrant' (the Beat Bard's 'Tomorrow Is A Long Time' was covered on 'Mockingbird'), and the Andy William's classic 'Can't Get Used to Losing You' is de-lounged back to the essentials. Even Sunday school staple, 'Whole Wide World', gets a nostalgic nod, although the happy-clappy simplistic singalong is reassessed to question a god that also holds all the world's problems in his hands too.
Ogilvy's shift in style is subtle yet significant. The guitars have gone up a notch and former folk leanings have given way to something darker and distinctly more metropolitan. The collection of 11 songs is certainly Ogilvy's most accessible to date - perhaps carved through recent performances alongside Katie Melua, Lucinda Williams and Josh Rouse. Or maybe the move simply suggests a change in perspective. Where 'Like It Is' displayed a wide eyed determination to be heard and 'Mockingbird' wrestled with reminiscence and regret, 'Heaven and Earth' finds an artist counting his blessings to still be loving and living (after eight throat operations prior to entering the studio who can blame him), but still questioning and ultimately restless.
'Heaven and Earth' is out now through www.davidogilvy.co.uk and selected independent record stores.
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