Spiritual Bum (Stephen Cummings)

Before he started recording "Spiritual Bum" Stephen Cummings stated (in the presence of reliable witnesses) "It's time to make another really great album." His past couple of records had been made in Sydney with Steve Kilbey and it seemed time to return to Melbourne (though he'd never really been away); quite literally to come home to a studio assembled in his back shed in Caulfield. Though the subject matter had not changed (in Stephen's words "love and the failures of mature life") these latest songs seemed to demand the down home approach - simple, emotional and direct; the kind of recording where the musicians and the singer sound like they're in the room with you, not in a shiny high-tech studio.

The twelve songs on "Spiritual Bum" range from a delicate ballad with backing from acoustic guitar and Wurlitzer only to full band workouts that recall the swagger of the Faces at their very best, and a song Stephen thinks of as "the White Album meets Al Green". They are populated by a range of characters (or is it just one in differing moods?) - the guy in the bar "drinking the heart out of the afternoon" who eventually realizes it's "such luck to be alive"; the person cradling his child (or lover, we're not quite sure) thinking "nobody ever could ever feel this way"; and in case we forgot "oh, and one more thing, don't talk to me about love".

Stephen's choice of musicians is, as ever, both interesting and logical. Bill MacDonald from Rebecca's Empire plays bass, guitar and organ, also from that band l ongtime collaborators of Stephen's Shane O'Mara and Rebecca Barnard appear on guitar and vocals respectively, Peter Jones (Deadstar) and Peter Luscombe (Rebecca's Empire and Paul Kelly) play drums, Bruce Haymes (Paul Kelly) appears on organ and Wurlitzer, Jeffrey Burstin plays various guitars and Tornado organ (whatever that may be), Dan Luscombe (Blackeyed Susans) and Robert Goodge play slide guitar and David Bridie plays toy piano. Another important contributor who is new to Stephen's world is Ashley Naylor from the band Even who plays great guitar on three tracks and co-writes one of these. The album was recorded by Simon Polinski and mixed and brought together by Robert Goodge between early October '98 and late January '99.

Available on iTunes

Stephen Cummings also released Live At Red Devil Fields 2002, Firecracker, Skeleton Key, Happiest Man Alive and Tickety Boo