„Cheer Up“ heißt die tief persönliche und kunstvoll arrangierte neue LP von „einem von Irlands bestgehüteten Geheimnissen“ (The Irish Times). 

Der stets produktive Edel-Songwriter John Blek lässt nicht locker und veröffentlicht sein bereits neuntes Studioalbum. “Cheer Up” ist eine kraftvolle, komplett autobiographische Reflexion über seine Jugendzeit. Klanglich führt es den auf dem Vorgänger „Until The Rivers Run Dry“ eingeschlagenen Weg üppiger Arrangements fort, während es inhaltlich ein Kapitel beendet. Blek selbst beschreibt das wie folgt: “This is a very important record to me. It’s the first of mine that is entirely autobiographical from start to finish. Also in the past I have tried to be quite restrained when it came to the production of my songs but this time around I wanted to adopt a more is more approach. Allowing each song to dictate its own natural path and taking it as far as I could with the resources available to me.”

Das Album enthält Beiträge des dreiköpfigen niederländischen Vocalensembles Woolf wie auch der Dresdner Broken Strings, Moritz Brümmer und Filip Sommer an Viola und Cello auf nahezu allen Songs. Aufgenommen und produziert wurde es bei Wavefield Recordings, Clonakilty, Cork mit Johns regelmäßigem Mitstreiter Brian Casey. 

Auf der Plattenhülle heißt es: “This is not a record of who I am but who I have been along the way“. 

Bleks Ziel auf diesem Album war es, mit einer weißen Weste in die nächste Phase seines Lebens zu gehen – die dunklen Momente seiner Vergangenheit zu vertreiben, indem er über sie schreibt und singt. In Wahrheit ist das nicht nur Trauer, es gibt auch Momente der Erleichterung. Die erste Liebe, die letzte Liebe und Momente der Beinahe-Perfektion. Das Album reicht von “Holy Shit”, einem Song über lähmende Depressionen, bis hin zum Gefühl der Erlösung in “Woman”. Dies ist kein Konzeptalbum, sondern ein sehr persönlicher Spaziergang durch das Leben des Künstlers als junger Mann, der aufwächst und versucht, seinen Platz in der Welt zu finden und durch die Liebe und das Verständnis, das er auf seinem Weg gefunden hat, Frieden mit sich selbst zu schließen. 

“The truth is I am going through some big changes in my life at the moment and this album is a way for me to draw a line under the harder times in my past to allow me to move forward free from that burden. At least that’s what I’m trying to do.” (JB)

Hot Press

Impressive effort from Cork folk maestro. 8/10

1 Holy Shit
2 Country Mile
3 Easy Now
4 Orange Warning
5 Colour of Sorrow
6 Rivers (Arno’s Song)
7 Hold Your Tongue
8 Giving Up The Ghost
9 Cheer Up
10 Headstrong
11 Woman

Cheer Up is the deeply personal and beautifully written new long player from “Ireland’s best kept songwriting secret” (The Irish Times) John Blek. With no sign of letting up, the ever prolific and masterful John Blek brings us his ninth studio album. “Cheer Up” is a powerful reflection on the singer/songwriter’s life. Lyrically demonstrating his personal growth while sonically showing his musical evolution. To some this may seem like a stylistic departure to others it’s the natural next step.

Blek says “This is a very important record to me. It’s the first of mine that is entirely autobiographical from start to finish. Also in the past I have tried to be quite restrained when it came to the production of my songs but this time around I wanted to adopt a more is more approach. Allowing each song to dictate its own natural path and taking it as far as I could with the resources available to me.”

The album features performances from Dutch three-piece harmony group Woolf and the Dresden-based Broken Strings, Moritz Brümmer and Filip Sommer on Viola and Cello. It was recorded at Wavefield Recordings, Clonakilty, Co. Cork and was co-produced with John’s regular collaborator Brian Casey.

The record sleeve states: “This is not a record of who I am but who I have been along the way“.

Indeed, Blek’s goal with this record is moving into the next phase of his life with a clean slate – exorcising the darker moments of his past by writing and singing about them. In truth it’s not all sorrow, there are moments of relief. First love, last love and moments of near perfection. The album runs from “Holy Shit”, a song about debilitating depression to the sense of salvation in “Woman”. This is not a concept album but a very personal walk through the artist’s life as a young man growing up, trying to find his place in the world, making peace with himself through the love, relief and understanding he has found along the way.

“The truth is I am going through some big changes in my life at the moment and this album is a way for me to draw a line under the harder times in my past to allow me to move forward free from that burden. At least that’s what I’m trying to do.” (JB)