Bob Bradshaw - Whatever You Wanted

There is much emphasis placed on young, fresh talent in the music industry. The arresting pull of youth, the lust for the new associated with the lust for the different – and the colliding beauty industry that makes this world ever-driven by artists who are barely out of high school. Yet, there is much merit to be found in the older, the wiser and the more experienced, and Americana songwriter Bob Bradshaw is a firm believer in that. “I had plenty to say when I was 25 and I strongly suspect none of it was worth saying,” he says with a laugh. “I might not have anything to say now either, but I am listening to the world around me. And I’m taking notes… in song-form.”

Indeed, ‘Whatever You Wanted’ fashions itself as a collection of stories and observations drawn from the world around him. Bob is now in his 50s, but he writes and plays with the fervor and restless energy of someone half his age, and he came face to face with such competition when he attended Berklee College of Music, graduating in 2009. Irish-born but having travelled Europe busking and exploring in the 1980s before landing in New York on a Green Card in 1989, he has spent many years playing, writing, recording and just generally moving about, experiencing the world. ‘Whatever You Wanted’ is Bob’s sixth album, but in many ways he is still the underdog, still learning from others and still winning over new fans. And amongst that fervor and driving force is the wise voice of an elder statesman, communicating what he has taken from the world to a new generation.

There’s a strand of love and heartbreak running through this record, complex relations swirling before us in a way that makes it unclear whether the subject remains the same. The title track uses driving percussion to set the tone for a kiss-off song, aimed at a lover who comes crawling back after making a mess of things, while ‘Crazy Heart’ is a wash of country noir that laments his heart’s tendency to break the rules. But there are also more conventional expressions of grief and loss, as on the punchy roots rock of ‘A Fool Who Cries’ and the southern rock strut of ‘Losing You’, both examples of where Bob gets more upbeat and textured in his offerings.

There are also more pensive tracks on the album, however. ‘Dream’, for example, is a lovely lullaby seemingly inspired by the Audrey Hepburn classic ‘Moon River’, while ‘Go Get Along’ takes us back to the 40s and 50s for a gently rolling track about moving on. Country folk ditty ‘High’ meanwhile features a somewhat cosmic lyric about falling deeply in love, and ‘Before’ takes us back to the 1970s for a chilled out reflection on what are perhaps his own reservations about taking on new challenges. There’s a definite sense of moving forward and tackling life here too, with intriguingly experimental folk offering ‘Sparrow’ a curious tale of warning about the things that may await him – in other words, get your s— together, you’re going to need it. One of my favourite tracks, opener ‘The Start of Nothin’’, muses on life and memories in a melancholic but beautifully simple fashion; some of Bob’s best work is that which is not overthought.

The record comes to a close on a sombre thought. The soulful anthem ‘Sad Songs’ reflects as much on a heartbreak as it does on his own lifestyle singing sad songs to crowds every night, while closing track ‘The Long Ride Home’ is a refreshingly stripped-back ballad about a tour coming to a close and the long road home. “The boys’ll break your heart in two,” he sings, following his scene-setting observations.

A lot of young artists have mature heads on their shoulders and do indeed have something fresh and interesting to say. But there’s nothing quite like listening to the tales of a life well lived, sung from someone who has experienced more than many of us ever have, or ever will. Someone who has studied his craft and honed his talent in front of thousands. That’s what you’re getting with Bob Bradshaw – wisdom, and great songs.