Paul Kelly – Seventy (Universal) (13th Floor Album Review)
Paul Kelly’s latest album, Seventy, arrives amid whispers that it may be his last, capping a spectacular 50-year career. If this is his final statement, how does it stand as an epitaph?
Pretty bloody well, mate!
Album number thirty features songs that stand among the very best Kelly has ever written. It is an incredible feat for an artist so late in his career to still find areas of excitement and discovery within the kitchen sink dramas that populate these vignettes of the human condition.
Kelly is still introducing us to a vibrant cast of characters: from his grandchild Ada Rae to the philosopher Cicero, farmers Tom and Elizabeth, our old friends Rita and Jo, plus a rogues’ gallery of others who may well be Paul himself. While Kelly’s excellence with words is undisputed, his gift for melody remains equally vital. The music on ’70’ is at times beautiful, gentle, and haunting, yet also muscular and triumphant. Crucially, the power of his voice remains undiminished—this does not sound like a man of 70.
The album is bookended by Tell Us a Story – Parts 1 and 2, which musically recall the hushed, closeted sound of The Velvet Underground’s third album. The close-mic’d intimacy perfectly serves the words, as Kelly implores others to keep sharing stories—ideally, tales yet untold.
Don’t Give Up On Me offers a brief, painful glimpse into a lover’s conversation, as one is forced to leave, hunted by past mistakes. It’s a plea for hope that the mistakes will eventually end.
Rita Wrote a Letter is the much-publicized sequel to the iconic How to Make Gravy. Central character Jo is out of prison and trying to walk the line, but his true love has moved on. Buoyed by an upbeat Drifters-like melody, the song details Jo’s tragic descent back into drugs and regret.
I Keep Coming Back for More is a scorching spiritual sequel to the mid-80s classic Dumb Things. The riff echoes the old track but is imbued with more swagger and grit. The lyrics confess a lifetime of lessons still stubbornly unlearned:
Like a sick dog licking at its spew
I keep turning back to you
It is a stunner of a song.
An acceptance of time and age subtly shades many tracks, particularly The Body Keeps the Score, My Body Feels No Pain, and I’m Not Afraid of the Dark. These songs find comfort in a life lived and an understanding of the world’s enduring beauty despite its slings and arrows. Kelly’s character-driven tales continue to shine, whether returning us to the dire farming saga of Tom and Elizabeth or detailing an old mate’s demise through an extended metaphor about the philosopher Cicero. Even amid the drama, Kelly finds time for a straight-up love song, Made for Me, sung as a perfect duet with Rebecca Barnard. Mark this one down as the next great first dance wedding song—it’s an absolute beauty.
If Seventy proves to be Paul Kelly’s swan song, he deserves a long and heartfelt ovation. His body of work has consistently shone a light on what is ultimately good in this world: love and the shared human condition. The optimistic words of the philosopher Cicero can rightly be attributed to Kelly and his art:
While there’s life, there’s hope.
The life given us, by nature is short, but the memory of a well spent life is eternal.
Rob Jones
Seventy is out today via Universal Music
Click here for the 13th Floor MusicTalk Interview with Paul Kelly.
