Tindersticks solo man
Stuart A. Staples
Leaving Songs
(Too Pure)
Stuart A. Staples, the former frontman for nightsongs maestros The Tindersticks, makes his Nick Cave-meets-Van Morrison debut.
Coaxing himself out of the shadows, Staples hardly sounds lost without his former mates on Leaving Songs. There’s the Glasgowegian glow of “Old Friends No.1,” a vibrant duet with Maria McKee on “This Road Is Long,” and the haunting austerity of “Already Gone” hitting the same, somber spot from different angles. The showcase remains Staples’ deep bass, which never attempts to rise near baritone and maintains a soulful, gravediggin’ cadence, like jazz cabaret in a pitch black parlor.
— Steve Forstneger
