CRISIS? WHAT CRISIS?

Well after Crime's unexpected success, the Tramp needed to confirm this, but it is always a hard thing to follow-up a fantastic and flawless album such as CotC. Unsurprisingly they didn't succeed in their confirmation, but Crisis is hardly a failure either. It lacks Crime's urgency and is not a concept album either (despite a title and that industrial parasol artwork), the songwriting is not as incisive either, although there are some pretty good tunes on it, but drowned in a bunch of lesser tunes. If Crime had not been a concept album, only two tracks would find a spot in it, which gives you an idea of the lapse between the two albums. Don't get me wrong, it is still that excellent group that recorded this album

Opening on the short and fragile Easy Does It and its Sister Moonshine follow-up, the listener immediately knows that Crisis will be a very different listening experience and a much less inspired one and breaking the alternance of Davies-Hodgson- penned tracks. Indeed, even the Davis-penned Ain't Nobody But Me and Another Man's Woman are, while both good, nowhere close to Rudy or Asylum. Nobody hasn't got much for itself, despite one of the rockiest ending with Hodgson's guitar solo and crazy sax. Stuck between them is the album's best track, Soapbox Opera, where finally they confirm their songwriting abilities. Another Man's Woman is much in the line of Nobody, but a long finale with again Hodgson's guitar being featured. The opening side finishes better than it started, but we're a far cry from Crime's awesome ambiances

The flipside isn't any better, opening on the wanking melody of Lady (the "hi" of the album, and Poor Boy (they were probably thinking of the ones that would buy this) isn't much better either. Just A Normal Day makes it two Davies-penned track in a row, but this doesn't work much either, but the often-overlooked at The Meaning is the highlight on the flipside, with Hodgson's plaintive vocals hitting the sensible spot, while Helliwell's clarinet takes a Klezmer feel. Closing the album is an average Two Of Us track that epitomizes this album's direction-less inspiration.

A real let-down IMOHO compared to the previous one, but most fans think highly of it. I think that coming after Crime, this album had not much chance. But most numbers leave me rather cold, although still so Trampish in the attitude and mould. Soapbox, Meaning and Man's Woman are the highlights in an otherwise lackluster collection of song. Still a worthy album, but to be discovered in a second wave, behind the true masterpieces of the group.

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