Album Review: Jeremy Spencer - A Time for Angels
After releasing albums in March and November, the recently super-prolific Jeremy Spencer came back in December with one more for good measure.
A Time for Angels "was not originally meant to be a Christmas collection, but upon compiling it, its title and theme seemed somewhat suitable for this season," Spencer said in a statement explaining its quick release.
Unlike his previous 2019 LPs, Latina Nights and Yearning Winds, A Time for Angels features vocals. And Spencer, who played slide guitar and piano and added occasional rockabilly numbers to the blue version of Fleetwood Mac from 1967-1971 before leaving to join a religious cult, is not a particularly gifted vocalist.
Despite its spiritual undertones, A Time for Angels is not overtly preachy or particularly Christmassy. Instead, its 13 tracks find Spencer taking biblical allegories and setting them to low-key, occasionally bluesy, music on tracks like "Ruth's Plea," "When You Fly," "What is Man" and "Think on These Things." Spencer also turns to Hans Christian Andersen for inspiration on "The Little Matchgirl."
There are hints of Spencer's contributions to the Mac (mostly notably on the Elvis-esque "How Could Heaven be Heaven") and much of the low-key charm that marks his more-recent instrumental albums. The vocals - not the lyrics - are the weak spot. Still, where music designed to be heard in December is concerned, listeners can do much worse than A Time for Angels.
Grade card: Jeremy Spencer - A Time for Angels - B-