David Vaughan- We’re on a holiday

The accordion gets into all sorts of ensembles these days fulfilling a variety of roles. Whilst David Vaughan’s voice is undoubtedly coming from the world of Rock his own songs have a variety of influences and the album title We’re on a holiday is very apt as the album sometimes evokes urban Buenos Aires and sometimes the Italian countryside.  There are Jazz and Tango influences and Classical and Folk too, and even Hot Club de France influence in the satirical Please Mr. Mitchell, a song about the MP Andrew Mitchell.  David has created his very own style which thankfully, is not easily pigeon-holed into any pre-set musical genre which was a necessary evil in the days when you went to your local record shop to buy records and would immediately go to the to the Classical, Jazz or Pop sections of the store.  Vaughan arranges all his own music and stretches his musicians into roles they are not always cast in. The accordion sometimes makes its own voice heard and other times it echoes the clarinet often working as part of a woodwind section with it as well as often providing a rhythm section role too. The result is utterly charming and unique.  The CD, in it’s presentation is “old school” in that Vaughan generously includes a 12-page glossy booklet inside which includes all the lyrics of his songs as well as some great shots of the musicians at work.  For the album you also get many more musicians than the regular 5-piece set up of the aforementioned Vaughan, Viazzani, Broncano, along with Tom Hewins on Tuba and Double Bass and Jason Reeve on Drums.  There’s whole string quartet which is superb on the track In spring, not to mention Piccolo Flute in Miss Italia , Dulcimer in One add one.  The last word though is with David Vaughan himself who not only wrote all the music, lyrics and arranged and orchestrated the whole album but of course provided that wonderful baritone with the rocky edge, piano, guitar, trumpet and most importantly…the washboard!