Frank Turner – Love Ire and song

On The Ballad of Me & My Friends (a live bonus song added to the North American version of this release), Frank Turner says “The musicians who lack the friends to form a band are singer-songwriters.” It’s an odd line that sticks out in your mind as it passes by. Maybe it’s the way it just rolls off his tongue without a second thought or maybe it’s the odd connotation behind it. Either way, the fact of the matter is that singer-songwriters are always making waves in the music industry; and it doesn’t matter what their reasoning was for them to go solo as opposed to a full band.

However, when you are going the singer-songwriter route, you have to have the right skill to really make it. You’re going out there by yourself and need to be able to stand 100% behind your music as you take all the blame and all the glory. It takes a certain charismatic touch for someone to put themselves out there like that and if they have that touch, it normally transfers well into their music. It makes the music relatable to everyone. Sometimes they do it by empowering listeners to stand up and fight through powerfully political protest songs while other times they bring it down and pull the listener in by singing to them and, in certain ways, about them.

In my opinion, it is the latter element which makes Frank Turner a good singer-songwriter as he’s able to effortlessly pull you in while calling himself out at the same time. The songs on Love Ire & Song are autobiographical and direct yet somehow able to transfer from one person to another with ease. So despite the fact that he may be talking about a specific situation, he tells the story in such a way that it becomes unifying and inclusive to anyone in ear shot.

On Photosynthesis, Turner questions the status quo and “American dream” (or the British equivalent I suppose) as he says “But no one’s yet explained exactly what’s so great about slaving 50 years away on something that you hate, about meekly shuffling down the path of mediocrity.” On Reasons Not To Be Idiot, he encourages everyone to break through and escape their shell and leave their comfort zone because everyone – including himself – has insecurities. I Knew Prufrock Before He Got Famous points out the important facets of life (Life is about love,last minutes and lost evenings. About fire in our bellies and furtive little feelings) while the title track features some of the best lyrics on the album that has Turner asking what the hell is wrong with the world.

These are songs that really jump at you. Turner‘s voice is strong and confident, and the music backs it up. Songs like Thatcher Fucked The Kids and Long Live The Queen (a track about the death of a friend) urge you to replay them again and again and it is those songs that really make Love Ire & Song so memorable.

Unfortunately though, Love Ire & Song isn’t all perfect and where it falters, it falters hard. When Turner slows it down, he often slows it down way too much and the record screeches to a halt. Songs likeBetter Half, A Love Worth Keeping and Jet Lag pull the record back a step. On those, Turner isn’t able to captivate the listener’s attention and pull them in. They’re too slow and mellow with vocals that drag instead of jump and the songs suffer because of them.

Still Frank Turner is doing something right and it comes through on Love Ire & Songs. Certain tracks are a little bland and forgettable but others make up for them tenfold. Acoustic folk with a punk rock edge and occasionally traditional twang and lyrics with lyrics that really captivate you makes Frank Turner a talented singer-songwriter.