Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10

The Way Back To You is one that the adventurer and the lover will often talk passionately of, but rarely undertake, knowing full well that what lies in wait is more than just temptation or the rekindling of a former affection, but also regret, one steeped perhaps in loss and recriminations; and it is in the end only the seeker of forgiveness, of the story teller, and the poet, that The Way Back To You becomes apparent, it is one of open ended compassion, of acceptance, a few fruitful lines in which to woo life and love as equal partners.

Written over the course of a couple of years, taking solace and stock from a journey across the U.S.A with his wife, Pete McClelland returns to the eye of the storm that is recording in a studio and comes baring a gift, a souvenir from that chance to spread his musical wings and thought, and one that highlights proudly the travel undertaken to return to the ears and emotions of the listener, to re-join the fight against those that would cause damnation through boredom and rejection.

Through conversations, through imagined and real moments in time, Pete McClelland takes the listener on a journey that sits comfortably in the same observational poetic stance as Jack Kerouac, the writer Thomas Hardy or even the British Poetry revivalist and Aldermaston marcher Christopher Logue, the sense of happening is perceptible, the strength of inspiration playing alongside the craft of scrutiny and inspection; their offspring offering a unity of spirit which is more than uncommon, it is a scarce commodity to be indulged in.

With tremendous tracks such as Capritaurus, Neptune’s Daughter, the superb Blue Moon Rising, She Was Born In The USA, The East Side Of Town and Last Train To San Fernando, and contributions to the album from Tom Phelan, John Rain, Jason Pegg, Angele Veltmeijer, Chris Leuzinger, Dennis Holt and Pat Severs, The Way Back To You can be seen as a glorious affair that is deep, meaningful and positive. For Pete McClelland it is the return to the rightful place at the centre of British Folk, a position the audience will always insist he belongs.

Ian D. Hall