The Beat Surrender

We do band the word legend around way too often in musical circles, but it certainly isn’t the case when you hear Lee Hazlewood described in that way.

He’s famous for forging one of the most successful songwriting partnerships ever with Nancy Sinatra amongst others, lately though he’s been dealt something of a cruel blow with onset of terminal cancer. This though is something that he has now come to terms with and despite or maybe because he knows he doesn’t have long left, he has decided to release one last swan song album.

Giving it four out of five isn’t the sympathy vote either before you start to wonder. Cake or Death is a frank, fun and utterly chipper album to with which to leave us. He revisits some old classics in his own inimitable way with Boots and such like, but despite everything he has going on in his life the overriding sense on this album is of a bloke having fun and enjoying himself.

A real treat, the album is out now on Four Music.