One of
Squeeze's most mature and thoughtful albums, 1991's
Play might be a bit pretentious in spots -- the liner notes are written out as a theatre script, with the songs laid out as dialogue -- but it's probably
Squeeze's best post-reunion album. Shorn of the misguided experiments of
Cosi Fan Tutti Frutti and the naked chart ambitions of
Babylon and On and
Frank,
Play is a simple and low-key collection of songs charting (loosely; this is less of a concept album than many reviews claimed at the time) the dissolution of a love affair. Reduced to a quartet by
Jools Holland's departure for a career as a BBC television presenter (the group's South London homeboy
Steve Nieve, tour keyboardist
Matt Irving, and more implausibly,
Bruce Hornsby provide the keyboards), the group play with a loose, R&B-inflected casualness. Producer
Tony Berg, unfortunately, occasionally obscures that character by drowning the songs in strings and mass backing vocals (including special appearances by
Michael Penn,
Wendie Colter, and
Spinal Tap's
Michael McKean and
Christopher Guest!), but the
Difford/
Tilbrook songs are mostly strong enough to withstand the onslaught. "The Truth" and the downcast "Walk a Straight Line" are particular highlights. ~ Stewart Mason