Baxter Dury - Happy Soup

The darker side barely hidden beneath the surface is evident right from the start.

Released: 15th August 2011
Reviewer: Becky Ross

Baxter Dury was an unwitting cult music icon before he even started school, appearing as a young kid on the cover of his father Ian Dury’s classic album ‘New Boots And Panties!!’ way back in 1977. So if he sounds like he’s to the manor born, its no wonder, growing up as he did in this kind of creative environment where it was normal for one of your parents to just happen to be one of the heroes of the late seventies UK music scene.

You get the feeling that Baxter is respectful of his undeniably awesome parentage but at the same time not cramped by it, gradually developing over his trio of albums his own down-to-earth, highly naturalistic style. Of course he can’t escape sharing the distinctive Dury genes; he has a lightness of touch which is unmistakably reminiscent of his late, great father, with the same no-nonsense deadpan vocal delivery and acute and accurate observations of those around him. But whereas his father’s musical style was feisty and almost spoiling for a fight, Baxter seems inclined to follow a more reflective approach. His manner may be more passive but Baxter still retains his father’s ability to be scathing when the mood takes him, albeit usually hidden among deceptively rinky dink, sweetly simplistic melodies.

The darker side barely hidden beneath the surface is evident right from the start - opener ‘Isabel’ slinks along with a bubbling bassline and breezy reggae-lite guitar riffs, distracting you from the tale of being unexpectedly - and awkwardly - confronted with a best-forgotten holiday romance. Elsewhere, ‘Afternoon’ has a stylised squelchy synth line, contrasting wildly with the minimal bassline and delightfully naive drum pattern, providing a quirky backdrop to a unashamedly nostalgic look back at times past. The prevalent style of less-is-more continues with ‘Trellic’ which features a simplistic, honed-down, almost rockabilly guitar solo, with Baxter singing gently over the top about apparent romantic bliss. In sharp contrast, ‘Picnic On The Edge’ is a snapshot of a family row with an oppressive two note guitar riff adding to the sense of claustrophobia and underlying violence, and is probably the edgiest song on an album largely pleasantly soft around the edges. ‘Trophies’ provides a glorious end to the record, a swooning finale which waltzes off into the shimmering sunset, the sound of someone finally finding peace with himself (‘You must wake up, breathe/And embrace today’), presumably reflective of where Baxter currently finds himself in life.

Baxter has said previously of his father that ‘he makes up what I am, but I can only be myself’. ‘Happy Soup’ is a testament to this; there’s no getting away from the ghost of Dury Senior shot right through his son’s character, but musically the tracks are less abrasive and in your face, revealing the gentle side of Baxter which defines him as different from his old man, but none the less charming for all that. The real test will be if one day Baxter makes an album so astonishing that all references to his musical heritage are left unmentioned - he’s not quite there yet, but there are huge indications on ‘Happy Soup’ that it’s only a matter of time. Rating: 7/10