Al Stewart
Down In The Cellar

Five years after "Between The Wars," Al Stewart returns to the scene with a truly surprising move; he continues with the concept album formula, shifting his focus to, well, I'd say the cover explains it all. An album entirely centered on wine, an unusual, disorienting, brilliant idea that Al Stewart manages to develop with his usual skill and savoir-faire. If such a notion had popped into Shane MacGowan's head, just as an example, he would certainly have developed it in a completely different way, diametrically opposite to "Down In The Cellar," I dare say, but it seems Al Stewart is not the type for revelry and taverns. His fourteenth studio album is something different from all his other works; very calm, elegant, and reflective, at times almost aristocratic, characterized by a strong crooner touch, bluesy overtones that had practically disappeared from the Glasgow artist's stylistic range since "Modern Times" dating back to 1975, and very personal and philosophical lyrics, with a touch of irony and wit. In short, more like something for a classy restaurant rather than a pub.

"Socrates drank the hemlock, perhaps he didn't mind the taste, perhaps it was a noble gesture, perhaps it was just a waste, by the blue Aegean like an ancient tune, dreams of Mycenaean heroes, under a wine-stained moon": a warm summer night, Greece, and a glass of good wine, this is "Under A Wine-Stained Moon", the song that best describes the general atmosphere of "Down In The Cellar", a seductive and charming ballad, performed with a wonderful mix of languor and nonchalance and enriched by an enveloping and silky blues solo. The passion for Bacchus' beverage is something that unites all the characters appearing in the album, the icy Republican official in "Waiting For Margaux" and the archaeologist in "Tasting History", songs that require attentive and unhurried listening to be fully appreciated, proving that when needed Al Stewart is capable of working "finely", creating melodies with a more subtle and impenetrable charm by his standards, he who has accustomed us to great emotions and immediate impacts. There are only three songs out of thirteen, four counting the brief and very elegant closing "A Glass Of Shiraz", but in the economy of the work, they are the most important, those that most of all recall the evening and "upper-class" atmosphere that permeates the entire work.

Apart from the bluesy shades, the other defining feature of this album is the massive presence of pleasantly vintage piano-pop sounds, such as the beat/vaudeville of "Millie Brown", which seems like a piece from "Bedsitter Images" with less bombastic orchestrations, "Turning It Into Water", a potential single for its light and sparkling verve, and the muted atmosphere of "Franklin's Table" which dissolves into a cheerful refrain accompanied by the accordion assuming more lively and convivial tones, as well as the six minutes of "The Night That The Band Got The Wine", stories of drunkenness on the edge of the surreal told with the brilliance and levity of an experienced cabaret performer. As for the folk roots, noteworthy are "Down In The Cellars" with its sweet arpeggio that would be almost entirely mirrored by Blackmore's Night in "Once In A Garden", the Spanish-like suggestions of a twilight and suggestive "House Of Clocks", and a cover of Bert Jansch's "Soho", an elegant and austere snapshot of London's nightlife, a type of song widely experimented by Stewart himself in the early '70s, therefore a further nod to his past as well as a tribute to a "colleague".

"Down In The Cellar" is certainly not an album I would recommend as a first approach to Al Stewart, but it remains a remarkable and highly valuable work; varied, balanced, and smooth, it doesn't present the emotional peaks of other albums by the Composer, it's true, but this is also part of its mood. In some instances, DITC recaptures ideas and styles that Al Stewart had long abandoned but doesn't sound like a nostalgic album or a "back to roots", not at all, it's simply different, and an artist who manages to reinvent himself after more than thirty years of career deserves praise anyway. If I were an expert in the field, I might say that its elegant and soft sounds pair well with a slightly sparkling and aromatic white wine, but since I'm not even close, I limit myself to appreciating yet another fine album by Al Stewart, though I don't even like wine...