Nothing but a dream

West Australian - August 16th, 2001
by Simon Collins

Rating: ****

"I cried when I listened to Paul Kelly's Bradman for the first time after the Don passed away. That says two things; firstly that I'm a bit of a sad case when it comes to cricket and secondly that Paul Kelly's ability to give his music a real depth of emotion is unsurpassed. The water remains deep on Nothing But A Dream, the 11th studio album bearing his name.

The record finds Kelly in a melancholy mood, especially on the opening three tracks which recall earlier works. His falsetto on Change Your Mind harks back to Blues For Skip from his 1985 solo debut Post and his classic Randwick Bells reverberates through the beautiful Mindnight Rain.

Close My Eyes and first single Somewhere In The City break this plaintive atmosphere. Both are top-notch guitar pop, stories of longing led by Spencer P. Jones superlative guitar work.

The third phase of Nothing But A Dream sees Kelly embracing new noises, with Just About To Break enveloped in a swirling drum 'n' bass. After this departure, which pushes the electronic angle a little further than his Professor Ratbaggy side project, Kiwi songstress Bic Runga joins Kelly for the jauntiest moment on the album - the Bible-inspired dance-pop of Love Is The Law.

Kelly certainly hasn't abandoned his roots. The final stanza of Nothing But A Dream consists of four timeless Paul Kelly folk tunes. Pretty Place is a nifty country duet with Linda Bull and Mick Harbey of the Bad Seeds creates a heartfelt backdrop for the pleading Would You Be My Friend? - a song that appears on the soundtrack to Silent Partner (one of several films Kelly has worked on recently).

As usual Kelly takes his inspiration from anywhere and everywhere, and the final track Smoke Under The Bridge is a simple yet haunting finale written from the perspective of a homeless man. From Australias dearly departed, favourite son to the forgotten people, Kelly finds empathy with all and tells our stories with remarkable clarity.

Not his greatest collection, that honour goes to 1986's Gossip, but still great."