''The Ghost of Love'' is an album released in November 2009 by English folk-rock singer

Robb Johnson Robb Jenner Johnson (born 25 December 1955) is a British musician and songwriter who has been called "one of the last genuinely political songwriters". He is known for his mix of political satire and wit. He has his own record label, Irregular ...

and his band The Irregulars. The album takes the form of a

song cycle A song cycle (german: Liederkreis or Liederzyklus) is a group, or cycle (music), cycle, of individually complete Art song, songs designed to be performed in a sequence as a unit.Susan Youens, ''Grove online'' The songs are either for solo voice ...

based on a woman called Mary and the events that occur in her life at Christmas over various years.

Concept

A number of the songs had appeared sporadically on earlier albums by Johnson, dating back to ''Overnight'' in 1991, although the recordings presented on the album are all new. The songs were inspired by Johnson's memories of living in the London borough of

Hounslow Hounslow () is a large suburban district of West London, west-southwest of Charing Cross. It is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Hounslow, and is identified in the London Plan as one of the 12 metropolitan centres in Gr ...

, where he was a resident for around fifty years, ranging from childhood memories of watching

Brentford F.C. Brentford Football Club is a professional football club in Brentford, West London, England, which competes in the Premier League, the highest tier of English football, having gained promotion via the playoffs at the end of the 2020–21 Champi ...

with his father to more modern incidents. One song, "Father Christmas Down Hounslow High Street" was inspired by a Christmas parade to which he took his own children, which featured Noddy and some "camp pirates". The storyline of the album centres on Mary, from nearby

Feltham Feltham () is a town in West London, England, from Charing Cross. Historically part of Middlesex, it became part of the London Borough of Hounslow in 1965. The parliamentary constituency of Feltham and Heston has been held by Labour Party MPs ...

, her children, and her on-off boyfriend Gary, a carpenter. Johnson based the character of Mary on a girl he had taught while working as a schoolteacher, who had a child at a young age. Johnson and the band also toured in support of the album, combining the concert with a children's songs workshop.

Critical reception

Writing in ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'', Robin Denselow called the album "bleak but unexpectedly poignant" and "thoughtful ndwell-observed" and said it offered proof that Johnson was "an English original".

Credits

Johnson plays guitar on the album and sings, accompanied by John Forrester on bass guitar, Charlie Waygood on drums, Naomy Browton on cello, Tim Walker on brass, and Roger Watson on

melodeon Melodeon may refer to: * Melodeon (accordion), a type of button accordion *Melodeon (organ), a type of 19th-century reed organ *Melodeon (Boston, Massachusetts), a concert hall in 19th-century Boston * Melodeon Records, a U.S. record label in the ...

. Johnson's two young sons, Hari and Arvin, provided background vocals for the track "Poundshop Christmas".

Track listing

#"Fairytales in Feltham" #"Rehoused in Hounslow" #"Jubilee Gardens" #"Father Christmas Down Hounslow High Street" #"Wooden Snowmen" #"Meanwhile, On Planet Earth" #"Crisis" #"Poundshop Christmas" #"Magic Pockets" #"The Ghost of Love" #"Motorcycle Diary" #"The Midnight Clear"

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ghost Of Love 2009 albums Robb Johnson albums Concept albums