Love Undercover (album)

Background

Prior to making Love Undercover, Skelly's band The Coral had commenced work on their sixth studio album, the follow up to Butterfly House (2010), with producer John Leckie at Real World Studios in March 2012. However, this session ended with only half an album completed and subsequently, The Coral entered into an indefinite hiatus with members pursuing their own solo projects.

"The stuff we’d recorded was great, but it was just natural ... We’d been together since we were 16, younger even, and you just get to the point where you’re almost trapped in this version of what you think you should be."

Recording

Following a recommendation from Alan Wills, the head of Deltasonic, Skelly contacted Rich Turvey, the engineer at Parr Street Studios, Liverpool, and arranged a free trial at the studio which resulted in him using the facility to record the whole album.

Sessions took place in August 2012, produced by James Skelly and Ian Skelly, and the basic tracks were recorded live. James Skelly performs lead vocals and guitar on the album and his backing band was assembled from The Coral band mates – Ian Skelly on drums, Paul Duffy on guitar, Nick Power on piano, ex-Tramp Attack member James Redmond on bass guitar, and members of The Sundowners – Niamh Rowe and Fiona Skelly on backing vocals and Alfie Skelly on guitar.

The process of recording the album as a group lead to Skelly choosing the name James Skelly & The Intenders for the project.

"The name is just about letting people know that it’s not just me and an acoustic guitar – which I’d imagine they might think it would be ... I had the songs, but it became a proper group thing, with everyone involved having a big input into it ... I wanted a Bruce Springsteen & The E-Street Band, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers thing, so that people get the idea that that’s what it is live. And I just thought it sounded good. It sounds like the sort of thing you’d want to go and see."

Musical style and composition

During the making of Love Undercover, Skelly "was listening to a lot of soul and R&B" which strongly influences the sound of album. Specific influences include Stax Records, Motown, John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and Bob Marley and the Wailers.

Skelly has said that for this album "[the lyrics] are all conversations", whilst the album's title is due to "all of the songs are sort of about all of the different disguises love comes in". "You've Got It All" came from an unfinished demo by Paul Weller which he'd sent to Skelly to finish. Skelly wrote lyrics to Weller's melody and chords and having previously demoed the song at Weller's studio, recorded the song for Love Undercover. "What a Day" was written by James Skelly and Ian Skelly fifteen years prior to the release of the album and Skelly had an unfinished version of "Searching for the Sun" written with The Coral during the earlier John Leckie sessions.

Release and promotion

Love Undercover was released on CD, LP and digital download formats on 3 June 2013 by Skeleton Key Records under license to Cooking Vinyl. The iTunes edition contained "I Can't Help You Now" as a bonus track.

Two songs from the album were released as digital download singles. "Do It Again" was released as a free download via the James Skelly & The Intenders official website on 11 March 2013 and was also released to online stores on 25 March 2013. A music video for "You've Got It All" aired on 26 April 2013 and the single was released on 6 May 2013 backed with "Love Will Find You" as the b-side.

The album was available to stream online in full on the NME website on 24 May 2013. James Skelly and Paul Duffy recorded an acoustic session on BBC Radio Merseyside on 1 June 2013 and also performed two in store acoustic sets at HMV in Liverpool and Manchester on 2 and 3 June 2013 respectively.

Touring

The first leg of the tour a seven date national tour in June 2013 supported by The Sundowners, three of whom, Niamh Rowe, Fiona Skelly and Alfie Skelly, appear on the album as part of the Intenders. However, two dates from this leg of the tour, in Liverpool and Birmingham, were postponed until September with Skelly having lost his voice due to a virus. The second leg of the tour included one date supporting Courteeners in Manchester and festival appearances at T in the Park, Latitude, Stockton Weekender and V Festival during July and August 2013, in addition to the postponed dates. The third leg of the tour was a five date national tour, although the originally scheduled show at Warrington Friar's Court was cancelled due to the band supporting Courteeners at Phones 4U Arena on the same date.

The set list mostly consisted of songs from Love Undercover but did included some The Coral songs such as "Liezah", "Gypsy Market Blues", "Shadows Fall", "Jacqueline" and "Dreaming of You" and a cover of Ray Charles' "I Don't Need No Doctor" and Ben E. King's "Stand by Me".

Critical reception

The album received manily mediocre reviews from music critics.

Track listing

All tracks written by James Skelly, except where noted.

Personnel