A Common Prayer

Collection Contents

#		Title	Length
1		Weight of the World	4:14	Play
2		Right Time	3:58	Play
3		Step Lightly	5:35	Play
4		Good Has Gone	4:22	Play
5		Can't Laugh	4:49	Play
6		Lonesome Touch	3:16	Play
7		Love On	4:14	Play
8		Grey October	3:05	Play
9		It Can Happen	4:42	Play
10		This Paradise	6:43	Play

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Description

BRONZE : A COMMON PRAYER

Bronze release their second album, A Common Prayer, the much anticipated follow-up to the critically acclaimed debut The Statue in the Stone, in September 2004 on Malady Music. The band augment their Rickenbacker fuelled sound as alt. gospel meets Neil Young & Crazy Horse, taking in the sun kissed harmonies of the West Coast on the way.

Bronze came together in January 2001 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. The line-up is: Paul Handyside, lead vocal, guitar and piano; Ade Evans, drums, vocals; Rob Tickell, bass guitar, vocals. Handyside had previous releases on Arista and Kitchenware Records with eighties indie band Hurrah!

US independent, The Bus Stop Label, released Bronze's first two singles and their January 2003 debut album The Statue in the Stone.

"The first thing you'll notice on A Common Prayer is Paul Handyside's voice. It is mannered, formal and arresting. Like a careful Rufus Wainwright or David Bowie, Handyside leads Bronze gently but firmly into "Weight of the World"'s climax. He's joined by drummer Ade Evans and bassist Rob Tickell on backing vocals; together they build the sort of baroque pop harmonies that Jeff Buckley made famous.
"Step Lightly" is soft and effervescent, Handyside's ineffable vocals only lightly tethered to the rolling guitar lick. The drums and bass keep the tune steady, but remain slightly muffled in the mix; here, again, it is Bronze's vocals that will garner the most attention. The music itself is almost colorless, as if the group were recorded live at a local coffee house. Here, as is the case elsewhere on the disc, the sound is close to James's classic Laid album: there's a hushed, unspoken sadness, a permeating quiet.
"Good Has Gone" is more brazen. Starting off on a jazzy piano tune, it really gets going when Handyside employs his vibrato for all it's worth, while Evans and Tickell finally explore a more aggressive dynamic. The result is a torch song for loners, and signals an uptick in tempo and temperament for the remaining songs.
Will this approach catapult bronze to stardom? It's hard to say; after all, it took years for James to get their due. However, with time, perseverance, refinement and a healthy bit of luck, Bronze may eventually strike silver and gold."
(Tyson Lynn splendid e-zine)

'A Common Prayer' opens with 'Weight Of The Wind' and immediately demonstrates the vocal and piano playing talents of main man Handyside. 'Step Lightly' is an easy listening acoustic country ballad (not unlike Prefab Sprout's 'Cowboy Dreams') and this is followed by another ballad, the first single from the album 'Good Has Gone'. Handyside certainly has the knack for writing beautiful ballads, and 'Lonesome Touch' and 'Grey October' (my favourite track on the album) demonstrates how his song-writing has matured since his days with 80s band Hurrah, when he proclaimed 'Tell God I'm Here'.
It would be unfair to categorise him of only been capable of writing ballads. 'It Can Happen' is an up-tempo number with a catchy chorus, unison harmonies, and great guitars. The closing track 'This Paradise' is the longest song on the album and it really only comes to life in the final two minutes courtesy of Evan's fantastic drum work.
I know it's a clich but this album is a grower and I for one believe it's the start of great things to come from this hugely underrated group. Welcome to the Bronze Age.
(Mick Lynch cluas.com)

'A Common Prayer' is an essential listen - intense, insightful and ultimately accessible."
(Phil Jackson for Zeitgeist)

"Classically-styled pop played flawlessly. The sound is often acoustic, but always tight and focused. Even the mellower moments here are light-years away from mawkishness. Paul Handyside writes some beautiful songs, and Bronze brings them to life in the brightest way possible."
(Jon Worley for Aiding & Abetting)