PAUL CARRACK
''RAIN OR SHINE''
2013
34:51
1 /Stepping Stone/4:04
2 /That's All That Matters To Me/3:37
3 /One In a Million/3:38
4 /You Don't Know Me/3:14
5 /(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don't Want To Be Right)/3:59
6 /Time Waits for No One/4:01
7 /Hard Times (No One Knows Better That I)/3:07
8 /I'm Losing You/2:56
9 /Life's Too Short/3:19
10 /Come Rain or Come Shine/3:31
REVIEW
By Nick DeRiso
In an age when his contemporaries take three, five even seven years between studio projects, Paul Carrack is already back with another blend of blue-eyed soul originals and choice covers — a trio of which pay direct tribute to Ray Charles.
I’m not sure Carrack has ever sung better, even during his hitmaking years with Mike and the Mechanics, even if the follow up to Good Feeling took just a matter of months.
The opening one-two punch of “Stepping Stone” and “That’s All That Matters to Me,” a lead single fraught with a very adult parental worry, showcase his 10-track album’s signature sound: An active string accompaniment not unlike those that fired soul classics by the likes of Al Green and, yes, Charles. In fact, they were recorded in Los Angeles with arranger Richard Niles, who contributed to some late-period triumphs with Brother Ray. His charts, which also include some brassy brawn later in, give Rain or Shine a timeless feel — very in keeping with Carrack’s honeyed approach at the mic.
Carrack, who included an overt tribute to Charles called “I Can Hear Ray” on Good Feeling, then faces his hero’s towering legacy head on with his version of “You Don’t Know Me.” There’s a bravery to that, or else a recklessness, depending on your point of view — but I’m happy to report that Carrack comports himself admirably, adding his own grace notes to a song that will, nevertheless, always belong to his hero. Carrack also provides the mid-tempo cadence, playing all of the instruments himself.
“Hard Times” then finds Carrack settling into a saloon-song demeanor, swaying with a ruminative ache, before Niles’ muscular arrangement pushes the singer into some thrilling high-pitched Charles-isms. The opulent “Come Rain or Shine,” a key moment in Carrack’s recent blockbuster tour with Eric Clapton that likewise traces back to the Charles songbook, closes the album out with a majestic mid-century sweep.
Elsewhere on Rain or Shine — due December 2, 2013 courtesy of his own Carrack-UK label — Carrack offers his own rendition of “If Loving You Is Wrong,” a song he first came in contact with via Bobby Blue Bland, who shared a roster spot on Anchor Records with Carrack’s 1970s-era band Ace. “Time Waits for No One” hustles and flows like a crisp combination of his knowing singing style with Squeeze and the polyester era’s best Philly soul sides. Brenda Lee’s “I’m Losing You” is also brilliantly transformed into a delicately conveyed ballad.
BIOGRAPHY
by Jason Ankeny
He soon resurfaced in Roxy Music, appearing on the LPs Manifesto and Flesh and Blood before releasing his solo debut, Nightbird, in 1980. Carrack next joined Squeeze, replacing keyboardist Jools Holland; in addition to contributing to the group's 1981 creative pinnacle East Side Story, he also assumed lead vocal duties on the single "Tempted," their best-remembered hit. However, Carrack's stay in Squeeze was brief, and after working with Nick Lowe he again attempted to forge a solo career with the 1982 LP Suburban Voodoo, cracking the U.S. Top 40 with the single "I Need You." A tenure as a sideman with Eric Clapton followed, and in 1985 he joined Genesis' Mike Rutherford in his side project Mike + the Mechanics. Their hits include "Silent Running (On Dangerous Ground)" and "All I Need Is a Miracle." 
While remaining a rather anonymous figure at home, Carrack achieved a higher level of visibility in America as a result of Mike + the Mechanics' success; subsequently, his third solo album, One Good Reason, proved to be by far his most popular effort to date, with the single "Don't Shed a Tear" reaching the Top Ten. Another tenure with the Mechanics followed, and with the title track of 1988's The Living Years, the group scored their first number-one hit. After the 1989 Carrack solo LP Groove Approved, Mike + the Mechanics issued 1991's Word of Mouth, which failed to repeat the chart performance of its predecessors; by 1993, Carrack was again a member of Squeeze, appearing on the album Some Fantastic Place and also resuming lead chores for a re-recording of "Tempted." However, he was once again back in the Mechanics' fold for 1995's Beggar on a Beach of Gold; the solo Blue Views was issued the next year, followed in 1997 by Beautiful World. Satisfy My Soul was issued in 2000, his first album for Compass Records. Carrack spent the first half the 2000s touring, both as a solo act and as the frontman in Mike + the Mechanics, releasing Groovin' in 2001 and It Ain't Over in 2003. A holiday album appeared in 2005, followed in 2007 by Old, New, Borrowed and Blue. After 2008's knowingly titled I Know That Name, Carrack took a detour on 2010's A Different Hat, an album cut with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Two years later Carrack returned with the soulful 2012 album, Good Feeling.
''RAIN OR SHINE''
2013
34:51
1 /Stepping Stone/4:04
2 /That's All That Matters To Me/3:37
3 /One In a Million/3:38
4 /You Don't Know Me/3:14
5 /(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don't Want To Be Right)/3:59
6 /Time Waits for No One/4:01
7 /Hard Times (No One Knows Better That I)/3:07
8 /I'm Losing You/2:56
9 /Life's Too Short/3:19
10 /Come Rain or Come Shine/3:31
REVIEW
By Nick DeRiso
In an age when his contemporaries take three, five even seven years between studio projects, Paul Carrack is already back with another blend of blue-eyed soul originals and choice covers — a trio of which pay direct tribute to Ray Charles.
I’m not sure Carrack has ever sung better, even during his hitmaking years with Mike and the Mechanics, even if the follow up to Good Feeling took just a matter of months.
The opening one-two punch of “Stepping Stone” and “That’s All That Matters to Me,” a lead single fraught with a very adult parental worry, showcase his 10-track album’s signature sound: An active string accompaniment not unlike those that fired soul classics by the likes of Al Green and, yes, Charles. In fact, they were recorded in Los Angeles with arranger Richard Niles, who contributed to some late-period triumphs with Brother Ray. His charts, which also include some brassy brawn later in, give Rain or Shine a timeless feel — very in keeping with Carrack’s honeyed approach at the mic.
Carrack, who included an overt tribute to Charles called “I Can Hear Ray” on Good Feeling, then faces his hero’s towering legacy head on with his version of “You Don’t Know Me.” There’s a bravery to that, or else a recklessness, depending on your point of view — but I’m happy to report that Carrack comports himself admirably, adding his own grace notes to a song that will, nevertheless, always belong to his hero. Carrack also provides the mid-tempo cadence, playing all of the instruments himself.
“Hard Times” then finds Carrack settling into a saloon-song demeanor, swaying with a ruminative ache, before Niles’ muscular arrangement pushes the singer into some thrilling high-pitched Charles-isms. The opulent “Come Rain or Shine,” a key moment in Carrack’s recent blockbuster tour with Eric Clapton that likewise traces back to the Charles songbook, closes the album out with a majestic mid-century sweep.
Elsewhere on Rain or Shine — due December 2, 2013 courtesy of his own Carrack-UK label — Carrack offers his own rendition of “If Loving You Is Wrong,” a song he first came in contact with via Bobby Blue Bland, who shared a roster spot on Anchor Records with Carrack’s 1970s-era band Ace. “Time Waits for No One” hustles and flows like a crisp combination of his knowing singing style with Squeeze and the polyester era’s best Philly soul sides. Brenda Lee’s “I’m Losing You” is also brilliantly transformed into a delicately conveyed ballad.
BIOGRAPHY
by Jason Ankeny
Paul Carrack was pop music's ultimate journeyman. A vocalist and keyboardist who enjoyed considerable success over the course of his lengthy career while in the service of bands ranging from Ace to Squeeze to Mike + the Mechanics, his finest work often came at the expense of his own identity as a performer; indeed, of the many big hits on which the unassuming singer was prominently featured, only one, 1987's "Don't Shed a Tear," bore his own name. Carrack was born April 22, 1951, in Sheffield, England; he joined the pub rock group Ace in 1972, eventually writing and singing their debut single, "How Long." After reaching the Top 20 in the group's native Britain, the record hit the number-three position in the U.S.; however, after subsequent material failed to match the success of "How Long," Ace disbanded in 1977, and Carrack signed on with Frankie Miller.
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