Album Notes

Launching his new album “Why Sing Goodbye Songs?” Scott delighted an appreciative crowd with a combination of wit, insight and some stunning guitar technique. From his first humorous observation – “before Swan did his demonstration, was this place called the Unlit and Phil?” – to the final chord of his third encore of the evening, his set had an emotional range as broad as the smiles on the faces of the departing audience. But no moaning: Whinging wasn’t allowed. Songs like “Thomas William Arthur Tate” and the cleverly juxtaposed and deeply moving “Eddie’s Dead” made Scott’s position clear on those particular human vices. And as the title track of the new album relates, they may be en vogue elsewhere - but not for this singer-songwriter.

Instead, we got everything else - and often in spades. From the witty but poignant “Anita O’Day’s Hat,” through the stunningly poetic “You Shoulda Said” to the laugh-out-loud funny “Kuala Lumpar Clegg.” But the song that raised the biggest reaction of the evening was “Fantastic Pastie.” If the song title itself doesn’t intrigue you, Scott’s story as to how he conceived of it will! It was worth the admission fee alone!

On “Yuri Gargarin’s Banjo”