REVIEWS

"Ian Tasker's second album, It's Later Than You Think, a sequel to 2021's Losing Track Of Time, is a dedication to a lost friend and a celebration of an almost lost era. The supermarket carrier bag of lyrics and chords Ian found in his loft is a gift that keeps on giving. Most of the 10 tracks were written by Ian and his old bandmate Pete Montieth, including standouts USA To Go, recalling Ian's Greyhound bus travels from New Orleans in the 1970s, the Graham Nash-like Desert Island ('Sun-up-in-the-sky land, no-one-wonders-why land') and Pantechnicon Song with its Lynryd Skynyrd echoes. Stay Tonight is a beguiling ballad with memorable chord changes. Strains of The Delines here in the soulful arrangement. The guitar work throughout is a delight, with the opening rocker Take What You Can Get showcasing Ian's versatility. The Girl From Tobermory, playfully written by Ian and his wife Jenny after a holiday on the Isle of Mull, and the brooding title track act as bookends to three of his favourite covers, a classy rendition of David Crosby's Triad, Traffic's Dear Mr Fantasy and Bob Dylan's Like A Rolling Stone. The latter is an homage to Ian's dear friend John Gardyne, who died recently, and cleverly uses the vocals of John, Ian and Roger Cooper from a live gig in 2000. We've been promised further Tasker-Montieth tracks; more ghosts from the loft"