''Thirteen'' is the thirteenth solo album by
Australian singer/songwriter
James Reyne
James Michael Nugent Reyne OAM (born 19 May 1957) is an Australian rock musician and singer-songwriter both in solo work and, until 1986, with the band Australian Crawl.
Biography
Early years
Reyne was born in Lagos, Nigeria. His father, Rod ...
. (11
studio albums
An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records co ...
and 2
live albums
An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records coll ...
). released on 16 March 2012. Reyne co-wrote tracks with producer Scott Kingman and Tim Henwood (from
The Androids
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
). The album covers a range of musical styles.
Reyne toured the album to positive reviews.
Themes
Thirteen shares something with novelists such as
John Cheever and
Richard Ford
Richard Ford (born February 16, 1944) is an American novelist and short story writer. His best-known works are the novel ''The Sportswriter'' and its sequels, ''Independence Day'', ''The Lay of the Land'' and ''Let Me Be Frank With You'', and the ...
, the notion that middle age, not youth, is when a person can make the most dangerous, destructive decisions in their life. Reyne said, "There's a desperation that comes with middle age, and there are things that can go wrong. The record is autobiographical - there's a song called "The Drone" that's written about me. It's a joke, but kind of true. I'm a big fan of
Warren Zevon and
Randy Newman, and they've always been frank in what they sang about while having fun with the phrases."
Review
Stack Records gave the album 4.5 out of 5, saying "''Thirteen'' could have been a self-indulgent mess. Instead, it’s perhaps Reyne’s finest solo album and one of the year’s best." adding "
tis the sound of an artist coming to terms with his past."
Track listing
;CD/DD
# "English Girls"
# "Capsize"
# "Whatcha Gonna Do About It?"
# "Good Clean Fun"
# "Stop"
# "Mitterrand's Last Meal"
# "The Drone"
# "Digging A Hole In The Pines"
# "The P.A.'s P.A."
# "I Could Have Been Your Dad, Son"
# "Tijuana Bibles"
Release history
References
{{Authority control
2012 albums
MGM Records albums
James Reyne albums