JIMMY LEE & THE EDGE OF CHAOS ORCHESTRA - The Runaway
Blue Coconut Records JL03
On first reading the CD cover, a little part of me was hoping that the musical anarchy of the late lamented Portsmouth Sinfonia might have found its way into The Edge Of Chaos Orchestra. But fortunately for Jimmy, that was not to be. By contrast, his crew are rather accomplished musicians, with Richard Scott’s saxophone proving quite outstanding.
From the word go, Jimmy Lee’s voice reminded me of someone. It took till the third track to realise who that was. I then shouted “gotcha”: it became apparent that despite his Sussex accent being a long way from North Carolina, he shares the same vocal DNA - having perhaps less polish and more rough edges – with the late George Hamilton lV. Were I him, I would be pleased with that comparison, because Hamilton was an artiste of considerable gravitas and quality. And Jimmy Lee even has the edge on him in one vital area: whereas Hamilton liked singing other people’s songs, Jimmy writes his own, and they are pretty decent.
See the lyrics on his excellent, user-friendly, website. Pity they’re not properly proofread though.
I especially liked No Flowers For Geordie, as strong an indictment of that naval hellhole HMS Ganges as Shep Woolley’s biting song, The Long Covered Way. Also a singularly non Shakespearean song, Hamlet, with its witty punchline. But the standout song is The Chalk Stream, which tells how a beautiful stream disappeared, commandeered by a pumping station. It’s worth the price of the album on its own.
www.jimmyleemusic.co.uk
Dai Woosnam
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