Keith Walsh
When you consider that Stylistics helped define the sound of soul ballads in the 1960s and 1970s, and Tom Cridland has adored all music, but especially R and B and soul since amassing a large music collection while a student at Eton College in the 2010s, you won’t be surprised to hear that the new Stylistics album, Falling In Love With My Girl, produced and co-written by Cridland, is pitch perfect.
Cridland is one of the most effective connectors of musical talent in the 21st century so far. Meeting Nigel Olsson and selling him pants from his fashion brand ignited Cridland’s spark, inspiring him to create a rock band The Tomicks, then a solo career, recording 40 songs for Tomicks and more than 100 as Tom Cridland. In 2022 he supported Stylistics on their UK Tour and then again in Brazil last October. Add to that his Greatest Music Of All Time podcast, and you get the picture.
Cridland’s songwriting expertise is on full display here, with 13 of the 21 songs bearing his composition skills as well as production techniques. Stylistics’ vocalist Russell Thompkins Jr. has a mellow voice in the mezzo soprano range, not unlike that of Cridland, suited well to the love songs here. Cridland’s gift for connecting people is also evident: Falling In Love With My Girl features an array of guest stars, starting with the Elton John Band – Nigel Olsson on drums, Davey Johnstone on guitar, Kim Bullard on keyboards, John Mahon on percussion and drums, Matt Bissonette on bass.
Those players are just the tip of the iceberg. With his Greatest Music Of All Time podcast, Cridland has interviewed hundreds of the leading icons of music. Other artists on Falling In Love With My Girl include the Tower Of Power horns, Ronnie Wood of The Rolling Stones,Bill Champlin of Chicago, Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top, Shania Twain, Gene Simmons of KISS, Carla Paoli, and Justin Hawkins of The Darkness.
Many of the songs on Falling In Love With My Girl are cowritten with Antoni King, a fellow Britainer who reached out to Cridland in 2023. Virtually all of the songs have low BPM counts, while the variety of guests add a variety of colors and textures and moods, achieving the wonderful feat of presenting a classic musical act in a new light more than 50 years after their debut.
Standouts include: “Infatuation,” to “Jealousy,” two somewhat classic sounding ballads but with 21st century tones. “Whatever Happened To Our Love” hews close to an 80s ballad sound. “You’ll Live Forever” is a piano ballad leaning into gospel sounds. The synthesis of Cridland’s diverse pop writing skills mix with those of King and his wife Fiona. Mid set, this song is show stopper with multiple modulations and The Tower Of Power Horns. “Endless Days,” featuring Cridland’s vocals, is a sad, downtempo song with melancholic chord changes, piano sounds and strings not unlike a classic Elton John ballad, including the backing vocals. “Take Me Back To Rainbows” is an uplifting plea in the classic style, while “Lost And Alone” has Cridland grieving in sonically beautiful ways. The final chorus finds Cridland risking vocal nodes while delivering a passionate performance unlike anything he’s done so far.
“Don’t Leave Me Here,” featuring Gene Simmons with uncharacteristically jazzy vocals, and The Tower Of Power Horns, is funky and lovely, and has some of the hardest guitars on the album. “Holy Water” is lovely and as spiritual as the title requires. “Rock And A Heartbeat” is an upbeat, soul pop tune, with some 80s inflections, while “I Could Never Leave Her” is sincere and rich. “Debbie” shows the kind of sweetness that perhaps is one of the reasons that The Stylistics have endured for five decades. “Sonnet 18” places the Shakespeare poem against a background of classical guitar and electric bass, with Thompkin’s Jr’s falsetto vocals loftily rising above. The change in style adds a unique moment of experimentation on Falling In Love With My Girl.
The album builds slowly from more tender ballads, simmering to a boil in the last third. “I Get A Feeling Is” powerfully energetic and sweet.” “If I Fail” sounds more like classic Stylistics, with a lyric offering the wisdom of reflecting on actions. The final track, “Take Me Back To Rainbows,” with Carla Paoli’s soprano vocals, and balladeer performances on classical guitar, piano and percussion, offers an another artful, slightly experimental approach.
As the title suggests, Falling In Love With My Girl is an album about discovering new perspectives and affections in familiar relationships.
Falling In Love With My Girl was recorded at Spice House Sound in Philadelphia, and is one of the last albums recorded at The Record Plant in Los Angeles.
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