Doozer McDooze
Not Going Back To That (Self Release)
CD/DL
Available now on CD, Download From 01 August 2016
Rating 8/10
Festival favourite Doozer McDooze is back with Not Going Back To That, his most accomplished album to date. Alan Ewart checks it out.
Essex boy Doozer McDooze is one of those guys that you can’t help but love. Doozer is one of those hard-working independent artists who plys his trade the length and breadth of the country. In recent years Doozer has become a staple at many of the small and medium sized independent festivals that are the very life-blood of the UK’s music scene. As he has travelled the country Doozer has built an enthusiastic fan-base who revel in his often anthemic songs. It is impossible to listen to Doozer, either live or on disc, without knowing this is music guaranteed to put a smile on your face.
I will never forget the first time I saw Doozer play, it was outdoors and the rain was pouring down. As I watched a young man of about 12-years-old handed me a flyer and simply said “everyone needs a little more Doozer in their lives.” How right he was. This is music to make you smile. The wry observation’s on life, crappy jobs and the struggle to make a living playing music are apparent in every word and in “I Don’t Wanna Go Home” Doozer has penned what is arguably the best festival anthem of all time. When you see this performed at a festival just check out the crowd, united in the ecstasy that only festival lovers truly understand.
When you join in the rousing chants of “I don’t wanna go home, I wanna stay like this forever” you know that you are with family. You know that you are surrounded by like-minded folk and you know that Doozer is, for that moment at least, the head of the family. You can’t help but admire a man who reached the realisation that slaving away in a series of crappy jobs was not the way he wanted to live his life. Doozer and his partner, the famous artist Birdy Rose, made the decision to give everything up and “go live in a van.”
Not Going Back To That, as an album, that celebrates that decision and tells the story of life on the road and the determination the couple have shown in living out their lives in a way that they find exciting, rewarding and fulfilling. As you would expect it ain’t all roses. Severing the roots that hold you back is not easy for anyone and this nomadic lifestyle is exhausting.
Above all Doozer is an acoustic, troubadour, a story teller who frequently invites you to look anew at the absurdity of our political system, at the dark side of the music industry and of life in the UK. That’s not to say that the music is bleak, that is far from the case. This is music for the free spirit both played and heard with a smile. It’s music to sing along to and it reflects the artist’s personality perfectly. There is a quiet determination even when Doozer points out in song that he is the “world’s worst business man,” and has no idea what to charge for gigs. You also know that the money doesn’t really matter too much, so long as there is enough to keep the van on the road and food on the table you know that Doozer is content with his choices.
Above all Not Going Back To That is a celebration, a statement that shouts “don’t give up, follow your dreams, it will all be OK.” You have to admire that. Make no mistake this is a joyful outpouring of words and music, something that will be sung in many a car and van as festival fans make their way to gigs across the UK.
You should buy this album because everyone does need a little more Doozer in their lives.
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Doozer McDooze is on the internet here: He is also on Facebook and Tweets as @DoozerMcDooze
Words by Alan Ewart: you can follow Alan on Twitter at @soundofmysummer or on the internet at soundofsummer.org and you can read more posts by Alan at his author’s archive
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