Bob Evans - Goodnight, Bull Creek! / Mornin' Richmond (2009)

Review by Nat Salvo

Let's get one thing straight everyone - Bob Evans / Kevin Mitchell is a really under-rated Aussie songwriter.

Now, I realise this is a big claim considering this is the same guy that wrote the song Animal, but you just have to go along with me on this one.

Unfortunately, the main problem is that his most recent album "Goodnight, Bull Creek!" does little to support my declaration - as it's a pretty patchy effort that, at its worst, gets dangerously close to Ben Lee's excruciating blend of twee pop.

EMI have released a special Limited Edition version of his third album and this makes me angrier than Dave Hughes  - because I forked over good dollars for the first incarnation of this record. 

Sadly, it has also remained – for the most part – tossed to one side and given only a couple of pity listens before I gave up and diverted my attentions elsewhere.

Sorry Bob, but I have issues with the fact that I have heard the bulk of the music in some way, shape or form before because many of the guitar flourishes seem to be borrowed from a batch of fifties / sixties easy-listening nostalgia classics.

Sure, my mum would love this kind of thing, but it just doesn’t do it for me. And don’t even get me started on the bossa nova song, Power Of Speech because I am still hearing that muzak!

The best track of the mix is Wintersong, one that is really bittersweet and melancholic, but I still think his best big ballad is Flame from Suburban Songbook. And did I mention that we are offered a sublime live version of the latter on here.

No? Moving on…

I do feel somewhat validated in expressing my vitriol for this record when I see the track listing on the second disc recorded live at Melbourne’s Corner Hotel.

That’s because it boasts five songs from Songbook vs. the three tracks from Bull Creek (and singles at that!).

The cynic in me suggests that even the label doesn’t think much of Evans’ new material or maybe they know the hardcore fans are more likely to part with their dollars for live Songbook tracks.

It's a damn pity too, as they could have whacked on some Suburban Kid material to make listeners really happy.

The live disc is a nice little collection and at the very least, the three new singles do seem to improve after a few listens. Plus, the set is a very honest one complete with the odd lyric fluff or random jam.

Ah yes, Bob is keeping it real for the kids, bless him!

Bob Evans dons the piano man hat to deliver a rousing Nowhere Without You, while the more personal pop gems Rocks In My Head and Sadness & Whiskey also bode well.

The latter track includes a nice segue into Otis Redding’s Dock Of The Bay.

But then, anyone who has seen Bob Evans live will know that this little jam isn’t a patch on the brilliance he achieves when performing Stevie’s Song and ending it with a cheeky grab from Eric Clapton’s Tears In Heaven.

"Goodnight, Bull Creek!" is Bob Evans’ rock album, but is ultimately no musical revelation. It is just the loveable guy, as we’ve come to know him, being entertaining and self-deprecating (but mostly on the live disc).

Unfortunately, this time around he is also armed with a slew of new songs and these just don’t seem to hit the same highs as his previous work.

It is a real shame and misuse of talent if you ask me.

RATING: 2.5 out of 5

Brought To You By The Dwarf