Paul Carrack — Cassette

Intro

Paul Carrack’s music feels like a well-worn leather jacket: comfortable, timeless, and possessing a quiet quality that never goes out of style. His sound is the bridge between the grit of 60s soul and the high-gloss production of 80s and 90s pop. There is an inherent warmth in his delivery, characterized by a voice that can transition from a smooth croon to a soulful rasp without ever sounding strained. It is music that occupies the middle ground of life, providing a soundtrack for moments of reflection, transition, and understated joy.

What truly distinguishes Carrack is his 'everyman' soulfulness. Unlike the theatricality of many pop stars, his performances feel intimate and conversational. As a master keyboardist, his arrangements are often anchored by the rich, swirling textures of the Hammond organ or elegant electric piano lines, creating a sonic bed that feels both expensive and grounded. He has a unique ability to make even the most polished studio production feel human and emotionally resonant through his impeccable phrasing and melodic sensibility.

For those new to his massive catalog, Blue Views is an essential starting point, showcasing his solo peak in the mid-90s. However, to truly understand his impact, one must listen to his iconic turns as a frontman for Squeeze and Mike + The Mechanics. He is the ultimate 'hidden in plain sight' artist, a voice you have known your entire life even if you didn't always know the name behind it.

Paul Melvyn Carrack (born 22 April 1951) is an English singer, musician, songwriter and composer who has recorded as both a solo artist and as a member of several popular bands. The BBC dubbed Carrack "The Man with the Golden Voice", while Record Collector remarked: "If vocal talent equalled financial success, Paul Carrack would be a bigger name than legends such as Phil Collins or Elton John." Carrack rose to prominence in the mid-1970s as the frontman and principal songwriter of rock band Ace, and gained further recognition for his work as a solo artist and for his tenures as a member of Squeeze and Roger Waters' backing band, the Bleeding Heart Band, intermittently handling lead vocals on Squeeze and Waters recordings. From the mid-1980s to the late 1990s, he enjoyed considerable success as the co-lead vocalist (with Sad Café's Paul Young) and a songwriter for Mike + The Mechanics; following Young's death in 2000, Carrack served as the band's sole lead vocalist until his departure in 2004. Carrack sang some of his affiliated bands' best-known hits, including Ace's "How Long" (1975); Squeeze's "Tempted" (1981); and Mike + The Mechanics' "Silent Running (On Dangerous Ground)" (1985), "The Living Years" (1988) and "Over My Shoulder" (1995). He also performed lead vocals on tracks from the Roger Waters albums Radio K.A.O.S. (1987) and The Wall – Live in Berlin (1990). He has released nineteen solo albums and achieved a major hit of his own with "Don't Shed a Tear" (1988). Carrack's songs have been recorded by artists such as Linda Ronstadt, Eagles, Diana Ross, Tom Jones, Michael McDonald and Jools Holland, and he has served as a session or touring musician for Roxy Music, Elton John, Eric Clapton, Ringo Starr, B. B. King, the Pretenders, the Smiths and Madness.

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA →