My initial opinion, going by the artwork contained in the liner notes of this CD, was that it was probably a satirical look at the "white trash" way of life, but it's really a lot more complex and provocative than that. Tales of na�ve Little Red Riding Hoods in need of cautionary advice against Big Bad Wolves ('10 Lessons in Love'); the despair of being trapped in a dead-end job ('Last Day Blues'), revolting against righteous piety ('If'); gold-digging as a means to easy livin' ('Proceed with Care'); and self-esteem (or the lack of it) based on socially-dictated images ('Man, Girl, Boy, Woman') could apply to any social class. Apparently, that doesn't quite jive with the philosophical intentions of the songwriters - Paul Heaton, Damon Butcher, as well as Joe Strummer's Mescaleros, Martin Slattery and Scott Shields. However, just as different people interpret abstract art in different ways, the disparity doesn't really bother me that much.
I understood 'The Real Blues' to be a put-down of blues music composers and/or performers pretentiously conveying shallow or false emotions they don't really feel. I can relate to that concept to a certain degree, but to have us believe that nothing artistic can be accomplished when one is "truly" depressed is complete nonsense to me. Are they saying that the blues CAN be written when one is feeling "on top of the world"? Or that "momentary" sadness is not as real as a "prolonged" one? Maybe they just doubt the genuineness of a blues music genre altogether. It's actually quite a catchy tune, though, but gets a bit annoying with the brassy bit at the end.
The instrumental arrangements themselves are actually very "angus", meaning "unique or different", albeit in that typically British fashion that strikes a lot of people, especially hard-rockers, as being somewhat "effete" or "fey". If you consider yourself musically open-minded, it's quite pleasant. The vocals and harmonies, although at times artificially modulated, all gel nicely, and the three female guest vocalists - Sharon Eusebe, Beccy Byrne, and Zoe Johnston - add yet another favourable dimension.
There are some very memorable verses, even when the lyrics flow unconventionally ('Barstool') and choruses and bridges that tend to grow on you after several listens. Due to its laid-back nature and diverse rhythmic patterns, this is the kind of music that would be perfect to listen to while on a rather long bus or train ride - while eating biscuits, of course.
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