High January

On High January, the fourth Marker Starling record in as many years, Chris A. Cummings decided to do something a little different and hired Sean OHagan of High Llamas fame to produce. He also recorded the album in London with members of the Marker Starling live lineup. These changes could have led to a radical revamp of the trademark restrained soft rock sound the project has so carefully cultivated, maybe even bringing some of the High Llamas atmosphere into the mix since most OHagan projects do that. Neither of those things happen. The album is of a piece with Cummings other work, and like previous albums places his lovely, honey-sweet vocals in the middle of a smooth, laid-back soft rock-meets-classic AM pop setting. The big difference is the live instrumentation, which is a nice change from the drum machine and electric piano backing Cummings often relies on. Throughout the album, the group do their best to imitate Christopher Cross backing band, while OHagan employs a very light touch at the mixing board and frequent collaborator Laetitia Sadier shows up to provide backing vocals on a couple of songs. It makes for a sublimely pleasant listening experience as usual. Cummings doesnt sing the songs as much as he settles into them like they were a worn-in easy chair, wrapping his vocals around the melodies like a cozy comforter. Tracks like Wait the Night and the almost funky Coin of the Realm have an almost narcotic effect, lulling the listener into a state of peaceful relaxation that feels like it could last long after the record stops spinning. A couple of songs have a little bit of zip, like Waiting for Grace, but not enough to break the mood. Like all the Marker Starling albums so far, this is serious mood music and Cummings made a fine choice by picking a producer who knows how to sustain a consistent mood, and by bringing along his crack band to back him. It all makes for another satisfying album from an artist who has done nothing but make them one after another. ~ Tim Sendra