As the sleevenotes to the new album mention: 'The title arrived courtesy of Muriel Spark’s novel The Ballad Of Peckham Rye, with its central character – a “disfigured, dastardly, mendacious Scotsman, possibly also the devil incarnate”, in Ross’ words – who appears out of nowhere, turns this sleepy south London village upside down and then leaves'. The sleeve also includes the quote attributed to William Blake about seeing 'a tree filled with angels' on the Rye, and in fact Ross shares a birthday with Blake.
The songs were 'penned largely on post-midnight runs around Peckham Rye Common', so yes there's a local connection. But this isn't a an album of 'local songs for local people' it's much more ambitious than that, featuring some great musicians including bassist Danny Thompson - who has played with Nick Drake, Richard Thompson, Kate Bush and John Martyn. Ross's voice has been compared to Martyn or the early Van Morrison.
The first single, out on 19 May, is One Day at at Time, with vocals from singer Kathryn Williams. The album is being launched in London on Wednesday 4 June at St Pancras Old Church.
I asked my more emotionally literate other half to describe the album and she used the words gentle, genuine, timeless, intimate, keeps calling you back... check it out.
