Nick Lowe, The Old Magic

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The press release for Nick Lowe's new album, The Old Magic, starts off with the opening line of his song Checkout Time and goes on to comment on it. "I'm sixty-one years old now, Lord I never thought I'd see 30,"....The line cuts right to the quick.  For though he spent his 20s "busy not fitting into three successive movements: pub rock, punk and new wave" (NY Times), Lowe has mined fertile new creative ground in recent years and the eleven tracks on 'The Old Magic' dig deeper still. As NPR observes, “Few musicians get better with age.  Nick Lowe is an exception.”

Both quotes and observations could not be more on the money. Over the past few albums, Nick Lowe has completed a transformation from punk and new wave rocker, that defined not only him, but a generation of British artists in the '70's, to a crooner with a subtle and refined way about him. Along the way he has elevated his songwriting and performing to a level of perfection that few artists ever achieve professionally, let alone later in their careers. 

With his last album, At My Age, Lowe found a voice and a groove that seemed so natural, it made it almost impossible to listen to the younger Lowe and believe that it was the same person. With that album, Lowe received some of the best reviews of his career and showed that he was more than comfortable being in his own fifty something year-old skin. 

On The Old Magic, Lowe not only matches what he accomplished on At My Age, he surpasses himself. Once again, drawing inspiration from '50's country-tinged standards and ballads and easy-going rockabilly songs, Lowe sings and moves with grace and warmth through this collection of eight original songs and three covers. Every song on The Old Magic sounds and feels classic, timeless, and familiar, which makes listening to this album so completely satisfying. I absolutely love this album. For me this is just a perfect album...not near perfect. Perfect. 

Stoplight Roses