On her fourth album, ‘Tribal’, Imelda May has further indulged her passion for all things rockabilly, adding just a little more bite to the formula established on ‘Mayhem’ a few years ago.
Here the guitars are snappy, the snare rolls are pin-sharp and May again throws herself wholeheartedly into the retro soup, slinging out tales of wild women and devilish card games.
There’s very little here that you haven’t heard before, but the enthusiasm with which ‘Tribal’ is performed is enough to pull the listener in to May’s anachronistic world, even if only for a short while. It also helps that her band are killer.
Much of the record exists on the surface, though, perhaps more concerned with looking the part than taking the rockabilly theme and injecting a little more of May herself, and that’s its biggest problem. The vivid colours and characters are fun, but ultimately forgettable.
One noticeable difference is provided by Little Pixie, a lovely ode to May’s daughter that is the album’s most open song and also one of its finest. The woozy atmosphere is later twisted to a new purpose on Wicked Way, a late album standout that is both alluring and menacing.
May does this rockabilly thing well, but ‘Tribal’ is too often caught out by its commitment to style. Its best moments arrive when she allows her own personality to shine through. More of that next time.
Imelda May Upcoming Tour Dates are as follows:
Sat June 21 2014 - CORK Live At Marquee
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