MUSIC . Reconsider Me

Twisted Love

Del Amitri


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Published: Apr 22, 2008

In 1995, just one thing set Glasgow's Del Amitri apart from, say, Blues Traveler or [your choice of generic white rock group]: At 2:14, "Roll to Me" was the shortest single ever to chart in the U.S. Top 10, or so radio DJs often claimed. (Thus was the band's biggest hit distinguished not only by the most boring piece of trivia ever, but an inaccurate one at that.) The song itself is innocuous enough; its cheerful jangle and head-bobbing melody completely obscure frontman Justin Currie's loathsome plot: Boy undermines girl's relationship, boy offers a sympathetic ear, boy consoles her with his cock. The next single, "Tell Her This," flopped at the time, but it's had greater staying power, at least for the Scrubs set — certain girls are suckers for songs about players coming to their senses. The rest of Twisted is a bland expanse of countryish licks, anthemic choruses and lyrics mercifully forgotten immediately, but Del Amitri hung on seven more years.

Del Amitri

Twisted

(A&M 1995)

Justin Currie

What Is Love For

(Rykodisc 2007)

Now on his own, Currie's current questions aren't quite as flippant as the one posed by 2002's Can You Do Me Good? A third of the songs on his solo debut bear the word "love" in their titles, and it's never less than a four-letter word. What Is Love For maintains Del Amitri's taste for rock and country; "Where Did I Go?" cranks up the squall, while "Walking Through You" has echoes of the Eagles. But Currie's solo trip has just two speeds: slow and slower. Piano's his most dependable friend, with strings and guitar feedback on call to bear the ache and the agony of rejection. Of course, as the terrific "No, Surrender" points out, things aren't much better for the smug marrieds. For those capable of thinking beyond their own romantic failures, society's loaded with distractions: subpar schools, meaningless jobs and reductive news reports. Ultimately, for Mr. Couldn't-Be-Arsed-to-Stick-a-Question-Mark-at-the-End-of-My-Album-Title, a lowly comma makes all the difference between fighting back and giving up. And, hey, the joke's on the lucky lovers: The world sucks, but you can't kill yourself without destroying your darling in the process. The rest of us can check out guilt-free. Now, that's twisted. And you've gotta love it.

(m_fine@citypaper.net)

Justin Currie rolls to you April 27 at World Café Live.