“I know that feeling sad brings out the best in songs, but I wouldn’t recommend this to anyone” James Summerfield

James Summerfield has seen much in his 26 years; still in his teens when his first band, Buick 6, came to the attention of the late John Peel’s audience through the wonderful “Drunk on my Porch” single and 2 sessions for the show, and not even 20 before the band split after Major Label dithering and management company disasters. Only 21 when he self-recorded his debut album, “Hailah, Hailah” (Bearos Records), and already a happily married man by the time his second album, “Paint The Road” (General Records) hit the streets in 2004 to great reviews from Mojo and Uncut.

Since then, the acrimony of divorce and all the chaos this brings has dogged him. He endured a period of self doubt and reflection that saw him briefly retreat from music, his genuine true calling, dealing with troubles that could and have broken a weaker artist. On “Count To 10 and Start Again“, his 3rd solo album, Summerfield returns with a lightness of touch, dark and strange humour and his finely-honed, fantastic ear for melody to tell sweet tales of the biggest blows. It is his best work yet.

The album, co-produced with fellow Peel veteran Simon Fox (Grover), is undeniably frank and deals with his dark period yet contains the beautiful melodies and musical arrangements that followers of James’ work will fondly remember.

His 12 new songs and the 36 minutes of your life that this record asks for are more than a hint of what the future holds for this fantastic artist.

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