Paul Kelly has titled his new album, Seventy, after his age. “The road ahead is shorter now than the road behind,” he sings over the ringing folk-rock of “Take It Handy.” “… What I’d give for one more round.”
If a sense of mortality is weighing on the great Australian singer-songwriter, it has not dulled his muse. Seventy brims with the warmth, profundity, and incisive storytelling that have marked his work for decades.
The album is grounded firmly in the physical world. “The Body Keeps the Score” and “My Body Felt No Pain,” both slow and meditative, explore the connection between flesh and spirit. The swirling, sensual “Made For Me,” a duet with Rebecca Barnard, revels in an almost carnal delight: “Mmmmm Mmmmm.”
