Last week, I saw Sari Schorr play the first gig of her world tour. Introducing one of the songs from “Never Say Never” she said: “here’s one from the second album…”
Then she paused, as if momentarily lost in thought and smiled, before adding: “that seems so weird, saying I’ve got a second album.”
The problem, if that be the right word, about this second album is the debut, “Force Of Nature” was and is so good – and that’s the issue with a wonderful first go around: how do you top it?
Take the greatest debut record of all time (Guns N Roses “Appetite For Destruction” – I refuse to debate this), the band never matched it. Far better, maybe to do the Springsteen thing and have a debut that is promising, so that when you do hit them with the one that’s got “Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)” they are ready to announce a new star?
Like I say, maybe yes, maybe no – whatever the answer, no one told Sari, because “Never Say Never” confounds every expectation you had and crushes them to dust in the palm of its hand.
In truth, it’s a very different Sari Schorr this time around too. For one thing, she wrote this one on the road, for another, it reveals more of her personally (as opposed to the personality that shone through last time) but the third – and arguably most important – part of this new outlook is the new band she’s got.
She said it herself at that aforementioned gig. Playing a cover of Bad Company’s “Ready For Love” – a version is also here – Sari admitted “I always wanted to do this one, now with these guys, I can.”
Chief amongst “the guys” are Ash Wilson, who plays a blinder on the guitar, giving each of the cuts a distinct feel, but also Bob Fridzema – once of the mighty King King – who I’d argue with anyone is the greatest organ player on the planet.
What all of this means in practice is shown on the glorious opener “King Of Rock N Roll” – a homage to the greats, and one that is rooted in the work of Free and the like – but one which patiently broods to its hook, as Sari’s voice (which roars like Janis Joplin when it wants, struts like Tina Turner when it feels like it, and manages to express emotion throughout) tops it off.
Relationships feature throughout. “Thank You” is a little sassy, and you’d hate to be the bloke it’s about: “thank you for all your indifference, I am still here in case you forgot,” is part sneered, and part warning, but it’s all superb.
“Valentina” has a real energy, a classic rock feel, if you like – Schorr reckons its her alter-ego that is “preaching her religion at strangers passing by” – and that religion, that focus, seems to be the music itself.
“The New Revolution” moves into southern rock territory and is amongst the most political statement she’s made so far, “Beautiful” is as gentle as it is gorgeous to balance it out. It is surely destined to be the first song at someone’s wedding somewhere soon.
“Turn The Radio On” would – if anyone still did anything to make music a communal experience rather than a personal one – be a hit worldwide, and is wonderfully reflective.
It is a feature of the album just how far Schorr’s writing has come. The vast majority penned with Producer Henning Gehrke, and perhaps the jewel in the crown is “Maybe I’m Fooling”, which combines the line: “I scream alone in the dark, like a desperate Joan Of Arc” with a stoicism, a chorus that you can’t resist and Fridzema reprising his King King playbook.
“Back To LA” has a Tom Petty-esque pulse, a blue-collar sensibility, and “Freedom” is a strident attack on the gun laws in her US homeland – both from the opposite ends of her work, but both magnificent in their own way.
For a record that has dealt with some toxic relationships of one type or another, it is odd perhaps, that it finishes with an expression of pure love. “Never Say Never”, written by a grieving Ian McLagan after the death of his wife is delivered with a tenderness that few could match. And surely, by making it the title track the message is clear: there is hope in amongst the madness.
It is a wonderful end to a wonderful collection. One which makes a mockery of wondering whether Sari Schorr could replicate the magic of the debut. Rather, there is a very real chance that “Never Say Never” is the best record of the year so far.
Rating 10/10
