Prefab Sprout - Falling in Love

From Prefab Sprout's early-'80s singles up through their often brilliant but much maligned album The Gunman and Other Stories in 2001, Paddy McAloon has written some of the finest pop tunes you're likely to hear in your lifetime. Comparisons have been made with Cole Porter, Lennon/McCartney, Brian Wilson, Stephen Sondheim, Jimmy Webb, Elvis Costello, and many others, but he remains a truly original and gifted singer and songwriter. While Prefab Sprout could never be called prolific in terms of physical album releases, McAloon has continued to write and demo material throughout the band's 20-plus-year career. In recent years McAloon has dealt with a series of health issues that have left hiim virtually unable to carry on as a recording artist. Thankfully, he continues to write songs that can be sung by other vocalists, and perhaps one day he will be able to grace listeners with his own voice again. Until then, listeners will fortunately be graced with previously unreleased Prefab Sprout music, such as Let's Change the World with Music, the often rumored 1992 follow-up to the Sprouts' Jordan: The Comeback album. While the album was never actually completed by the band, McAloon's fully formed demo is not just a hint of "what might have been": it's one of the most consistent albums of the band's career. Let's Change the World with Music is a loose concept album that is based around the intense, oftentimes religious, joy of music and the gift it brings to those who allow it to overcome and overwhelm them. While McAloon is not a Bible-thumping evangelist, he uses religious imagery to describe the magical power of music and how it can literally change the world. Those who choose to push music to the background in their lives may not understand where McAloon is coming from, but for those who have lived and breathed music since their early days, Let's Change the World with Music is a revelation (pun intended).