SCRITTI POLITTI - PROVISION

Scritti Politti are a British band from the 80's formed and led by lead singer and songwriter, Green Gartside. He's an interesting guy for a number of reasons, but I find the Scritti Politti material I'm really drawn to are the albums featuring David Gamson. Gamson is an American keyboardist who's distinctive sound really defined Green's songs during their most popular period. Gamson later went on to work with other artists I'm really into. Like Me'Shell Ndegeocello and Tony LeMans.

I discovered Scritti Politti through a British magazine called Smash Hits. I used to buy it because it was the only place you could find information on many of the British New Wave bands during the 80's. Scritti Politti kept coming up over and over. I finally saw "Cupid & Psyche '85" in a bargain bin and picked it up. I was completely blown away by the sheer ecstatic happiness of the music and became a big fan.

On "Provision", the boys from Scritti continue the pop fun with excellent arrangements, Green's choirboy vocals and catchy hooks Stock, Aitken & Waterman would kill for. In fact, if I wanted to be cynical, I'd compare the production on any Scritti Politti record with SAW. The big difference is the more passionate lyric content and the hooks are spread out nicely. Sure there's a couple pieces of filler material, but more great tracks overall. That's not the case with SAW. 'Boom! There She Was' is a typical track. It's got a great beat, exciting lyrics and starts the album off with a dynamic punch. The momentum is building, and the rest of the record is set up nicely. There's a mix of the tune as the final track on the cd that's essentially an extended instrumental. It's also fun and ends the record on a positive high note. The band immediately moves into 'Overnite'; which is the first ballad of the disc. Normally, I'm not a huge fan of ballads, unless I find something truly interesting about them. Gamson uses light bell and chime sounds in his arranging and Green's high pitched voice make ballads a delicious sensation rather than a drudgery. Somehow, they write slow tunes that segue perfectly from the faster tunes. They compliment each other and flow nicely in sequence. Although 'Overnite' is an unremarkable tune in many ways, it's enjoyable when you listen to the disc as a whole. 'First Boy In This Town (Lovesick)' is a tune that really reminds of the SAW production formula. Mainly because of the way the background vocals are arranged. It features a 50's style girl group singing backup. The tune also speeds up the pace from 'Overnite'. It's followed up by 'All That We Are' another pop number. It starts slowly, but quickly picks up when the keyboards start to punctuate the rhythm. It's the play between the urgent synth and the drums that really sets this song apart from previous numbers on the record.

'Best Thing Ever' is probably one of my favorite numbers from this release. It's got a wonderful beat and just floats from the speakers with a natural flow. It follows the formula of an older Motown tune, but Green really delivers the goods. Again, the 50's girl band appear to back him up. The next ballad shows up as 'Oh Patti (Don't Feel Sorry For Loverboy)'. This number is really exceptional for a number of reasons. Green really pushes his vocal range on this number. It's got an interesting narrative and also shows up later on the disc in an extended version. It's the second track to get a remix on the end of the record. 'Bam Salute' shows another side of Scritti Politti that I've always enjoyed... They've always mixed a reggae rhythm section to certain songs and this one demonstrates that amazing blend while picking the pace up again. 'Sugar And Spice' relies heavily on a minor chord organ motif to really move the song along and it's very effective. That same organ sound shows up again on 'Philosophy Now'. If this were the actual last song on the record, it'd be a nice way to fade out. It's happy pop and very typical for the band.

So in the end, I have to say, compared to the other two records Gamson is on, both "Cupid & Psyche '85" and "Adonis And Bonhomie", "Provision" is the least of the records. It's still excellent by pop standards and enjoyable to listen to. But it lacks the breakout hits of the previous and subsequent efforts. I still enjoy it and I'm glad I own it. My final words: NOT THE GREATEST, BUT DARN NEAR.

SCRITTI POLITTI - PROVISION
01. Boom! There She Was
02. Overnite
03. First Boy In This Town (Lovesick)
04. All That We Are
05. Best Thing Ever
06. Oh Patti (Don't Feel Sorry For Loverboy)
07. Bam Salute
08. Sugar And Spice
09. Philosophy Now
10. Oh Patti (Don't Feel Sorry For Loverboy) (Extended)
11. Boom! There She Was (Dub)