Album Review: Dave Graney & The Mistly - You’ve Been In My Mind

The Graney has never been beholden to any fashion, bar his own. But as the circles of style turn, there are times he gets some of the respect he deserves. He's again become the go-to guy when the world needs an opinion or explanation – with a slightly-arched eyebrow – of how the business of show is or isn't working these days.

His music finds a fit here, too. You've Been In My Mind grabs a range of moods and attitudes, for his half-spoken/half-sung words to present the observations and mission statements. Points of reference for the music reach back. There's '60s and '70s soul in here, and occasional outbreaks of blues shouting and yelping dating further than that. There's just enough rough edges among the smoother grooves.

It's not just the external he's considering. Flash In The Pantz is the nature of the old-style man blustering and questioning at once. The urgent strut of that, and indeed most all the album, comes from the necessary female element of Clare Moore's drumming. She is the heart and balancing conscience of it. But go to the rattling rush of the opening Blues Negative, and she's obviously got muscle as well.

In We Need A Champion Graney informs at one point, over a dirty funk of Stuart Perera's wah-wah guitar and Stu Thomas' bubbling bass, seemingly lifted direct from a porn soundtrack – in a good way. Dave's probably not even putting himself up for the title job, but he realises one is needed. His 30 years experience means Dave Graney has become the man who knows. And knows more than most. Yeah.