By Keith Walsh
Gauging by his creative output, I’m guessing Tom Cridland finds little time for sleep. He just released The Best Of Tom Cridland, Vol 1, for new fans who got to know him as the opening act for the UK tour of The Stylistics, for whom he’s just played a month of back to back shows. He’s also just released a duet with Alison Thorsteinsen, whom he first heard on Elton’s John’s Rocket Hour, then invited to guest on his own Greatest Music Of All Time Podcast.
Cridland found a kindred spirit in Thorsteinsen: “(Alison) is wonderful singer songwriter from Australia,” he said. “Her song ‘Better’ is my favorite — her work is beautifully played, melodic but raw and authentic, straight out of the 1970s, when people wrote decent songs. We’ve duetted on what is probably my best song, ‘Falling off the Rails.’ It’s a great place to start if you want to listen to my music.”
The original mix of ‘Falling Of The Rails’ was released in 2019, and was Cridland’s first single as a solo artist after taking a hiatus from The Tomicks. It was the beginning of project that some might say was too ambitious but resulted in some extremely memorable songs. “I wrote and recorded 107 songs in just a few months in 2019,” said Cridland, “which is obviously a lot to listen to, even for a dedicated fan. It was a crazy project, so much music and in so many genres. There’s pop, soft rock, heavy rock, soul, R&B, jazz, disco in there.”
It’s understandable that Cridland includes his most commercial songs on the 15 track ‘Best Of’ set–songs like “The Palm Tree,” “I’ve Come Too Early,” and “I’m Inadequate” are smooth and catchy as hell. Among the 92 tracks that didn’t make the cut are some of his quirkier efforts, including the hilarious country ballad “Three Star Hotel,” the retro rock of “Sunglasses Hide My Tears,” and the sophisticated art rock of “Operetta Of The Snobs.” There’s a whole different audience for these songs, and perhaps Cridland could release a quirky-flavored ‘best of’ as volume 2. These songs can be found on “The One Single A Week Box Set.”
A smart businessman who with his partner Debs Marx created a successful fashion brand right out of college, Cridland clearly has his heart in the music game as well. After leaving The Tomicks for a while, he set out with a band playing dozens, if not hundreds, of covers from his favorite artists. Not only has his already decent voice improved since the first Tomicks’ record, along the way he picked up some songwriting habits that serve him well. For The Stylistics Tour, for which Tomicks’ keyboardist Nick Whitehead joined him, Cridland served up his originals with a couple of his favorite covers.
It’s on a Beatles tune that Cridland shows he has the pipes to handle what is one of Paul McCartney’s ballsiest album performances. “My favorite moment of each show with The Stylistics is singing a cover of ‘Oh! Darling’ off Abbey Road,” said Cridland, “which The Beatles or Paul solo never did live themselves. It goes down really well with the audiences. Other than that I’m enjoying playing ‘Closing Time’ from The Tomicks first album – this is the first song I ever wrote and the first Nick and I wrote together. ‘Damn Right,You’re My Baby’ my solo single is also going down really well with the crowds. As of course is our cover Crocodile Rock!”
Opening for The Stylistics is a nearly ideal experience for Cridland. “I’m really enjoying interacting with audiences and getting a reaction that I honestly could never have expected. But also I’ve been to see The Stylistics’ show almost every night after ours. I think they are easily the best of the Philly soul groups. Their songs are so beautiful. I’m obsessed with ‘You Make Me Feel Brand New.’ And ‘Ebony Eyes’ is such a lovely tune. But all of them are amazing. They are really friendly people and incredible singers.”
Tom Cridland Discography
The Stylistics Official
Alison Thorsteinsen Official
Tom Cridland YouTube
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