Like a fine wine or an oak-aged malt liquor, some artists only get better with time and that’s certainly the case with vocalist/guitarist John Fiddler. For over fifty years he’s been steering the good ship Medicine Head through the often murky waters of the music industry and has left a stream of highly regarded albums in his wake. His latest long player under the moniker Medicine Head is Heartwork and it finds him charting a course deep into blues territory to deliver ten tracks that could easily be described as “career defining”.
The first thing that hits you when the opening track comes wafting from the speakers is the album’s rich and luxurious sound. Like a Marshall amplifier that has warmed up nicely with hot valves and a contented hum, ‘Makin’ Up For Lost Love’ has a wonderfully treacly aesthetic, and it’s just as sweet and intoxicating. It is a sound that fits these songs perfectly and their bluesy nature resonates with the listener on some deep, primordial level. Reaching into our psyche and giving our heartstrings a tug, ‘Makin’ Up For Lost Love’ encapsulates the very best of the blues; the guitar lines flow like rivers of silk and make a fine counterpoint to John’s whiskey and Marlboro croak. As do Belinda Campbell’s back vocals which appear on five of these songs (including this opening shot) and they become an integral (though unobtrusive) part of the sound, and act as another instrument, both to foil John’s vocals and add texture.
Reminding me slightly of Tom Petty at his most thoughtful ‘Everybody Has The Blues (Sometimes)’ has a reflective nature, a jilted-lover-standing-in-the-rain type quality that lends itself well to introspection. It’s the type of song (and indeed, album) that’ll fit those contemplative moments as well as small blues clubs. It’s a very intimate, personal album that engages with the listener on a one-to-one basis, that emotional connection is not an easy experience to transfer to a shiny compact disc, but through a kind of musical alchemy, Mr Fiddler does. While the production is lustrous, it is often sparse; there’s plenty of space for the listener to infer their own thoughts and feelings, and it’s this that makes Heartwork a collaborative affair. It also has the benefit of bringing John’s songwriting to the fore, and when the songs are this good, that’s exactly where they should be.
A soothing balm sent to soothe our troubled times, ‘It’s All About The Love’ is a novocaine injection that leaves the listener with a warm, Ready Brek glow. Some music doesn’t bear over analysis and it’s best to sit back, bask in its glory and concede that it’s just a great, great, great, great song. Heartwork is constantly changing gears between slow blues tunes and upbeat, diving numbers and it’s one of the latter that closes the album in the shape of ‘Ridin’ In My Car’, bringing us to our destination, concluding 43-minutes of musical heaven in some style.
Leading with both his heart and head (pun intended) John Fiddler has produced a timeless album that could have been released at any moment in the last fifty years and, subsequently, will sound good for the next fifty.
- Heartwork is released via Talking Elephant Records (physically) and Living Room Records (digitally) on 23rd February 2024.
- Medicine Head
Track List:
- Makin’ Up For Lost Love
- Alibi
- Everybody Has The Blues (sometimes)
- Get Your Hands In The Air
- Livin’ In A Bubble
- Love Is Not A Dream
- Gotta Hold On
- It’s All About The Love
- Blue Eyes
- Ridin’ In My Car
Obligatory Credit Danny Clifford
