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MARK SINNIS
IT’S BEEN A LONG COLD HARD LONELY WINTER
9TH RECORDINGS – NR9

16 chilly blasts to warm your heart, and no mistake.

‘It's Been A Long Cold Hard Lonely Winter’ itself sets the tone, loping music you can imagine in a downcast cowboy film, and the devil keeps knocking at his door, which isn’t what you want. With Mark’s warm vocal tones it’s catchy and keep expecting a quick ‘yippie ki-yay’ but nope, none of that. ‘Wine And Whiskey And The Devil Makes Three’ is equally comfy country, someone having a shite time singing about it with mellow manners, a fiddle drifting, drums brushed, guitar high, vocals mildly confessing a grim end.

‘Driving Nails In My Coffin’ is a crafty caper, his woman left him so he’s turned into an alkie. (Everyone needs a hobby.) It’s at a slow trot and that might be a pedal steel guitar, I suspect. ‘Six Feet From Eternity’ has a delightful spoken intro, then a song where he calls to a dead woman in a curious lament. ‘In A World With No Tomorrow’ is a curious thing, I don’t know if he’s singing about a ghost or something like a river but with nice brass backing he emotes with great passion.

‘Sitting At The Heartbreak Saloon’ finds him as billy-no-mates, jukebox his only friend, and yet he’s growing strangely optimistic, voice a quiver like a whiskery Elvis. ‘Sunday Mourning Train’ has a mellifluous spirit despite the gloomy intent, as the protagonist isn’t have the greatest of times, despite some hesitant banjo playing. ‘Cemeteries And Centuries’ is a proud, dignified song, simply detailing a shared fate.

Strolling pessimistically ‘On A Cold Night In December’ has more brass and hazy guitar as the lonely voice announces preventative measures post-death to keep the devil guessing, passionate and dramatic. ‘Mistaken For Love’ is more curious, a different style of regret, whether at the end of a life, or relationship. ‘He Stopped Loving Her Today’ is a beautifully sad love story, of endless one-sided devotion, only ended by a natural demise.

‘Open Road of Memories’ is open and balmy, ‘Down Old Route Number 9’ has a love muted feel with deft guitar and ‘Your Past May Come Back To Haunt Me’ is a big boomy, catchy number with a lung-bursting vocal. ‘The Angel Of Death’ sounds like its recorded in a funeral home, organ softly shadowing the vocals, or vice versa, as we all contemplate meeting the Angel Of Death. Weirdly, after all this, ‘In Harmony’ takes a different tack as presents death as our mate, and all’s well that end’s well, as it were. Very chipper, almost celebratory!

Immaculately delivered this is an oddly exhausting record, given the way the thoughts are banged into your head. It’s the most trad country thing I’ve heard Mark do and the most relentlessly theme-driven. Seriously impressive, but I hope there’s something less ominous next time.

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