Simon Kirke - Filling The Void

Simon Kirke

Filling The Void

Megaforce Records - 2011

http://www.freewebs.com/simonkirke/

The first thing I made note of when doing some minor research to talk about this album was that it wasn't the first solo CD that Simon Kirke has done. He apparently did one back in 2005. I'm thinking that must've been really low key because I've never heard of it until now.

And I might just have to check it out if it is even half as good as Filling The Void turned out to be.

Simon Kirke may be best known as the drummer for Bad Company, but he is so much more than that as he demonstrates so aptly on this CD. Besides singing and playing drums on the disc, he wrote or co-wrote all of the songs plus played bass, piano and guitar on various tracks as well.

You probably wouldn't think of him as a band leader, but when you take his smooth vocals that fit the material so well and smart songcraft, he is all that and more.

The album's booklet is a fountain of information on the creation of the disc. It's got an essay/interview with Kirke plus a track by track commentary. It also keys you into the who's who that guested on the album. His daughter Domino sang on two track, Mick Ralphs appeared on the track "Make Up Your Mind" and Howard Leese was on the title track. G.E. Smith and Steve Conte also made appearances along with others that I will let you discover for yourself.

As for the songs, the title track opens the disc. It is a confessional song related to the time Kirke spent in rehab and how things in his life were at the time. His daughter's singing on the track makes it that much more poignant.

"Message From The Lost" was inspired by his time spent as a Red Cross driver after 9/11. The story of the life and times of a long term couple in "Angel In My Eyes" was interesting because normally you'd find that type of subject to be in a ballad, but here the song was more uptempo.

"Over There" was the second song to touch on more of a topical subject matter, Kirke listed it as being his homage to the soldiers who had died in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The saxophone makes an appearance on two tracks and provides the two songs with a headier sense of atmosphere. On "Jaunty Sarcasm" (which is just a great title by the way), the story of a really bad relationship is set to a music soundtrack that has me feeling like I'm in a swinging smoky nightclub at 2am. "Melting On Madison" is a slow song about a couple so into each other that they barely notice the world around them. The sax here makes you feel as if you are right there in the rainy night.

While rehab has apparently worked for Kirke, it doesn't seem to have left him without a sense of humor as evidenced on the rather entertaining "Make Up Your Mind" which is a bluesy/country type of song that is "a tongue in cheek ode to drunkeness".

The midtempo song "Going Home" really hit home for me. Not necessarily the lyrics, which are about a guy driving to get to his girlfriend who he fears has done something crazy. It was how Kirke sounded, to me at least, when singing. The song, co-written by Derek St. Holmes (Ted Nugent), has him sounding a whole lot like Warren Zevon. And that is just fantastic to my ears.

"Talk To The Hand" is about a mysogynist and while the song isn't necessarily all that great, I liked the guitar solo.

The album is full of songs of love (both good and bad), loss, longing and a few topical subjects. It is a superbly recorded and performed album. It won't "rock your socks off" because it is not a rock and roll album full of chunky riffs and bombastic drumming.

What it is is something that classic rock fans will love to add to their collection. Simon Kirke steps out from behind the drum kit and shows the world that he is the total musical package.

GRADE: A MINUS

01. Filling The Void

02. I Want You Back

03. Message From The Lost

04. Angel In My Eyes

05. Over There

06. Jaunty Sarcasm

07. Melting On Madison

08. Fly To Your Side

09. Make Up Your Mind

10. Talk To The Hand

11. Going Home

12. One Day Closer To You

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Scott on August 26, 2011 at 8:42am

Im listening to this right now, I havent purchased, Im just previewing because this review reminded that I wanted to, and secondly that it soudns as good as I had hoped...