Del Amitri Fatal Mistakes 2021

Welcome back, Del Amitri. Almost 20 years after their last album, they're back, and while it doesn't sound like "they never went away", it is close enough.

And they didn't completely go away, as there have been four Justin Currie solo records in the meantime. While they weren't Del Amitri records, Currie is the lead vocalist and primary songwriter for the band, so those solo albums also came pretty close.

So, does it live up to their reputation for lovely, catchy melodies coupled with Currie's dark lyrics and yearning voice. In short, yes it does. 

A brief review of a band that has had some success, and should have had more. After an odd eponymous debut in 1985 that sounded nothing like the band they would soon become, they made five solid albums between 1989 and 2002. They released 21 singles, several that cracked the top 20 in the UK, and a few that made it into the US charts, including Kiss This Thing Goodbye from Waking Hours 1989, Always The Last To Know from Change Everything 1992, and Roll To Me from Twisted 1995. Not Where It's At and Some Other Sucker's Parade from Some Other Sucker's Parade 1997, and Just Before You Leave from Can You Do Me Good? 2002 were solid work that went mostly ignored. For my personal tastes, Some Other Sucker's Parade is as good a rock record as any, and all of their records after the debut are worth hearing. Their Best Of, Hatful Of Rain 1998 is an excellent display of their abilities. But without hits and only moderate sales outside the UK, they were summarily dropped by their record company in 2003. 

They reassembled and briefly toured in 2014 and 2018, which brings us to Fatal Mistakes. Not quite the rocker that Some Other Sucker's Parade was, there's still plenty to tap your foot to. You Can't Go Back, All Hail Blind Love, Musicians And Beer, and Losing The Will To Die are all solid rockers, and the slower material holds up well. The closer, scathing seven-minute Nation Of Caners finds Currie full of vitriol. It's Feelings has a jaunty rhythm and a classic Currie vocal with a hooky chorus.  The classic Del Amitri elements are all there, and the songwriting is solid.

If you never heard of Del Amitri, you're not alone, but you've missed out for sure. If you're a fan and you're not sure about this new one, there's no need to hesitate.