Terry Callier
Speak Your Peace

STRANGE TRAJECTORIES

Sometimes they emerge, warm and bright, among thousands. And in the firmament of intermittent and fleeting stars, they imprint a magical sign that will not be forgotten. Not even if they are brought down by the murderous hand of a father, armed by the madness of an obsession.

In other cases, they emit exceptional flashes laced with funk destined to soon fade, initially creating amazement and expectations, only to return to the shadows, diminished in a sudden oblivion. Or they survive time and themselves, in the funnel of a career finale that includes improbable duets, with embarrassing outcomes for those who were fortunate enough to have encountered their star when it still radiated genuine light.

Terry Callier's singular biography touches upon almost all of these conditions but outlines its own, thanks to a talent capable of making choices and a tenacity able to sustain it.

In 1967 he released his debut album and then, after some years of reflection ("I had heard Coltrane live and realized that my music lacked enough spirituality"), he reappeared with a great album in '73. Further efforts followed, until a much longer "disappearance," at the beginning of the '80s. It was the late '90s that saw him return to the scene. But regarding his story, I refer you to the interview at the link found in more info.

Now let's come to this album.


THE CORNUCOPIA OF MR. CALLIER

“Speak Your Peace” is an excellent work.

If you happened to listen to it by chance, knowing nothing about the author, you would probably also ask: where does this come from?

The cornucopia full of songs and aromas pours over the listener like a flow in which many of the forms that the soul of black music has taken on over the last 40 years condense.

A dense and spicy concentrate of soul and a warm exercise in style.

Because the voice of this gentleman not only has a recognizable timbre (and to me, absolutely delightful) but also the flexibility that allows different approaches and interpretations, always appropriate, avoiding mannerisms. Conveying a natural and massive dose of feeling.

Because in that voice vibrates a sensual spirituality which, along with a folk echo with roots planted in the '60s, is among the peculiarities of his music.

In this case updated, in the sounds and the general atmosphere, by the contribution of 4Hero, with whom he had previously collaborated.

In the "third life" of Terry Callier, the "rediscovery" of his talent by young generations played a non-negligible role, engaged since the mid-'90s in blending the apparent coldness of technological sound with the groove and soul of the black tradition. It happened with other musicians as well, but in this case, I believe the symbiosis can be considered perfect.

In fact, what strikes is the persistence of a very personal style, expanded but not distorted by a balanced use of technology.

“Monuments Of Mars” starts from the past, on the delicate arpeggio of his guitar, initially surrounded by slight synthetic sounds and then by percussion and strings, measured in supporting a voice immediately sure and commanding. And it is a splendid beginning.

The sinuous pace of the second track, “Running Around,” continues the enchantment, always entrusted to the acoustic sound of the guitar, even more delicate but punctuated by the warm pulse of the bass.

In the third, “Darker Than A Shadow,” we are immersed in a sound solution, dark but almost torrid, demonstrating the effectiveness of the downtempo treatment applied to this gentleman's music.

And we arrive at one of the many small gems of this album: the duet with Paul Weller in “Brother To Brother,” a soft ballad in which Weller contributes his talents, not only in voice but also on keyboards.

From here on, not a misstep, not a repetition: each song shifts its center of gravity just enough to absorb and release different fragrances, often relaxed and ethereal, with shifts in soul or funk components at different dosages. In “Speak Your Peace” he offers a brief taste of spoken word, then delivers vocalizations on the sensual course of the title track. At times he is sly, as in “We Are Not Alone,” where the shadow of a slimmed-down and less static Barry White seems to loom. Or surprising, in the reinterpretation of “Caravan Of Love” by the Isley Brothers, which most will remember in the “a cappella” version by the Housemartins in the mid-'80s. Or in that of “Just My Imagination” by the Temptations.

But Callier is also capable of being powerful and incisive, lifting his voice splendidly in homage to the land of Africa, a track with a jazzy atmosphere that flows magically and enchantingly for all eight minutes of “Sierra Leone.”

One more mention for a track towards the end, “Image a Nation” which develops in an almost dreamlike and “psychedelic” dimension around a simple vocal melody reiterated by the choir, bringing to mind flavors of the best Arrested Development (does anyone remember?) where Callier allows himself every liberty, from whispering to shouting, giving us perhaps the most distinctive track.

But they are 14 songs that unfold with astonishing naturalness, created with the contribution of a great number of excellent collaborators and excellently produced by Jean Paul Maunick. And these make this album one of the best examples of new soul (or whatever the heck you want to call it) I have heard in recent years.


OLD PEARLS AND NEW SURPRISES

At the end of repeated listens to “Speak Your Peace” you might find yourself wanting to explore the history of this musician, as happened to me. I would suggest at least a couple of titles: “The New Folk Sound Of Terry Callier,” his debut in the heart of the '60s, which might surprise you, delivering the portrait of a sort of black and American Nick Drake, with a soul vein running through his personal version of folk. A voice and a guitar, a sparse album, but which still today releases simple and vivid flashes. And “What Colour Is Love,” perhaps his masterpiece.

His most recent album, “Lookin’ Out” (2004), seems a mix between the "modern" sounds present in Speak Your Peace and a more direct, more earthy approach with the tradition of black music. I am listening to it these days, and it seems to me another excellent work.

But perhaps you have already come across his voice: in addition to being in that of Beth Orton, it was present on the Koop album and also appears in a recent single by Massive Attack.

Because the many lives of Terry Callier seem to hold more pleasant surprises for us.