album
Shakin’ Stevens is back with a re-set
After a break of almost seven years, Shakin’ Stevens is back with an album. photo
© Andy Fallon/Netinfect/dpa
As a young boy, he would often wave and shake his cricket bat as a substitute for his guitar. That’s how Shakin’ Stevens got his name. Today he releases new music.
It was quiet around Michael Barratt for a long time. Only die-hard fans know the name, but almost everyone knows his stage name: Shakin’ Stevens, often shortened to Shaky. After a break of almost seven years, just a few weeks after his 75th birthday, he is back with a new album that is more than a loud sign of life. “Re-Set” is a sequel to “Echoes Of Our Times”.
In his long career, Shaky has tried many styles – from rockabilly to country rock to rock ‘n’ roll. With songs like “Oh Julie”, “Marie, Marie” or “You Drive Me Crazy” he stormed the charts and became a teen idol. They have 33 UK Top 40 hits, four number 1 hits and numerous hit albums. “I felt comfortable with all styles,” says Shaky in an interview with the German Press Agency. “It was just a good mix.”
The new album is also a mixture, but more of different rock variations. “A little Americana, a little blues, the mix is good,” he says of “Re-Set”.
The Musician’s Life
In his heartfelt and passionate lyrics there is a little personal touch, such as his mother who raised 13 children almost alone in the most difficult circumstances, or his father who worked in the copper mines in Wales.
Little Michael was the youngest of the Barratt family. “But I didn’t recognize much of it at the time.” The uncle, whom he never met, is also part of the musical family chronicle on the new album.
In his family, music determined everyday life. “We had an old crank record player running all the time,” Shaky recalls. There was also a lot of singing. And the music with his siblings at home finally got him on the path to music at school. “I later had other jobs, but then music became my calling.” First appearances with the band Shakin’ Stevens & The Sunsets in the 1960s were the first steps to world fame, which later brought him his solo career.
mirror of society
But our everyday life is also important to the artist. “The album is also a message about our time,” he said. “It should show where we stand in the world.” The song “It All Comes Round” is about the principle of karma, about corresponding reactions to good or bad deeds.
“All You Need Is Greed” is about greed, profit and misery. “I want to show that things are not good, hopefully one day people will realize what’s wrong.” do-gooder? “No, people should just think.”
Album will be played on tour
The album “Re-Set” is also a bit of a personal restart after the long break. After suffering a heart attack while gardening in 2010, the Welshman wants to start over with cautious steps. “Yes, I would like to be on stage again, if possible this year,” he says. A tour is already being planned, after Denmark he will probably also present the new album in Germany.
As with many of his colleagues, this album is also a product of the Corona lockdown. “I just had a lot of time,” says Shaky. “And I had fun editing it all.” However: “It took a long time before I was really satisfied with the album.” Whether his new work also arrives at the fans? “I can only hope it’s up to the listener now how far the album makes it in the charts.”