THE PROCLAIMERS (***) : “Hit the Highway;†<i> Chrysalis/ERG</i>
After pledging to walk 500 miles just to be with a woman, what next? Pop the question and pledge a blissful life together, ‘til-death-us-do-part-etc.
In “Let’s Get Married,†the lead track of the Proclaimers’ third album, the cheery Scottish twins Craig and Charlie Reid do just that. That follow-up to “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)â€--one of the grandest, most gleeful statements of love and devotion in recent pop, and a left-field hit last year thanks to its use in the film “Benny & Joonâ€--carries on with the older song’s bubbly optimism and skiffly melodic catchiness.
That irrepressible faith in love and life is also turned dramatically heavenward. Any Christian youth camp would do well to latch onto “The More I Believe†and “The Light†for evening sing-alongs, and there’s a folk-rock gospel fervor (via Elvis Presley and the Everly Brothers) throughout the album. There’s spirit--holy and otherwise--to burn with these guys.
Corny stuff? You bet. But it’s also heartfelt, never shallow and always irresistible.
New albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (excellent).
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