Who would have ever expected Nicky Wire to sound this at ease? The guy who was a firebrand, a Cardiff punk, and a crafter of polemic, is now older, wiser, and chilled out enough to serve up snatches of jazz (!) on his new solo record. Wire's not turned into James Taylor or anything, but there's something almost unnerving about this direction, and the facility with which Nicky performs here. Intimism, out now via Bandcamp, is an enormously refreshing offering from the Manic Street Preachers bassist/lyricst, and a record that even this Manics fan had only modest hopes for, given how tepid I found I Killed the Zeitgeist, his first solo release from 15+ years ago.
"Ballad for the Baby Blue" is a bit twang-y, and a throwback jam with nods in the direction of Badfinger (if you didn't already guess that from the title), while "You Wear Your Heart like a Broken Dress" is a bit harder. The piano riffs here give this real momentum, and Wire sings it with a naturalness that's pleasantly surprising. He sounds so assured that a listener can only wonder why he hadn't put out a solo album like this years ago. Elsewhere, "Under California Skies" is bright and full of the sounds of summer, a throwback to the sort of American radio pop that obviously found receptive ears all the way over in Wales, while "Keeper of the Flame" is anthemic. This one, along with "Contact Sheets" and "Tactical Retreat", will surely make a listener recall the best numbers from 2010's Postcards from a Young Man, or the inward-looking indie of 2013's Rewind the Film. In that sense, they are exemplary servings of the qualities we love about Wire as a lyricist, while also indications that he's got somewhat hidden skills as a singer left to reveal.
While I Killed the Zeitgeist felt like Nicky Wire trying to be the Nicky Wire we expected him to be, this one is more modest and thus better. The lyrics sure sound like Nick, yes, but the settings and arrangements favor Wire's vocal range and strengths. The mixes by Dave Eringa give this some heft, and there's a guitar solo from James Dean Bradfield in here somewhere, but overall this is Nicky's show. And Intimism is warm and smart. Wire's heart is in this, but nothing is belabored, and he's not trying to start any revolution, except maybe one in his own soul. A vibe runs here that places this whole enterprise somewhere between Microdisney and The Monochrome Set, though Wire wisely doesn't get too lost in the indie trappings this time around. Direct in its lyrical appeal, poetic in approach, and consistently tuneful, Intimism is one of 2023's really nice surprises.
Intimism by Nicky Wire is out now via Bandcamp.
[Photo: Nicky Wire's press team]