Ball's second album in a row to obsessively chronicle the aftermath of a romantic breakup (the first was 1996's If Ever a Man Loved a Woman), Catholic Guilt posits Edward Ball as the middle-aged, balding, British male equivalent to Lili Taylor's character in Cameron Crowe's Say Anything, endlessly writing songs about her ex-boyfriend. The difference is that Ball's songs are actually really good. Starting with the self-lacerating single "The Mill Hill Self-Hate Club," which has the horn-driven groove of an early Style Council single, Ball examines the relationship from every possible angle, with leavening doses of dry wit and warm-hearted compassion to balance out darker tunes like the lengthy, almost Dylan-esque "Docklands Blues." The witty "Controversial Girlfriend," which sounds almost like Nick Lowe backed with the Barenaked Ladies, is another clear standout, but nearly all of the album mixes intriguing lyrics with catchy, hook-filled melodies and substantial production. For Ball, whose albums with the Times seemed more concerned with fashionable mimicry than emotional directness, this album is surprisingly weighty and thoughtful.

 1. Mill Hill Self Hate Club
2. Love Is Blue
3. Docklands Blues
4. Controversial Girlfriend
5. Hampstead Therapist
6. Tilt
7. Trailblaze
8. Never Live To Love Again
9. This Is The Story Of My Love
10. This Is Real

 CREATION RECORDS 1997

STAN IDEALNY

Opis stanu płyt:
Idealny - jak nowa, brak śladów użytkowania
Bardzo dobry - minimalne ślady użytkowania, prawie jak nowa
Dobry - widoczne ryski, ale bez żadnego wpływu na odtwarzanie
Dostateczny dużo rys, ale płyta odtwarza bez zacięć, przynajmniej na średnio wymagającym sprzęcie