Seventy CD

Tell us a story So opens the new Paul Kelly album, a request like a child to their parents at the beginning of a trip, or a group around a campfire at the end of the day. And who else would we ask but Australia039s master storyteller, the man who has been doing it for 45 years.Kelly039s latest album, SEVENTY, will be released on October 31 and is available for preorder now. Having turned 70 in January, this deeply personal collection finds Kelly taking stock setting out his stall with all his wares. It039s his most varied album yet, representing all his different kinds of songwriting and showcasing a songwriter and band at the peak of their powers. The album039s cover, featuring a striking portrait by photographer Dean Podmore, pays homage to the iconic 1988 Jon Lewis photograph of Paul a visual echo that bridges nearly four decades of artistry and reflects the album039s themes of taking stock and celebrating continuity.SEVENTY traces its inspiration to Chaucer039s The Canterbury Tales and Boccaccio039s Decameron, where disparate souls came together to swap yarns and keep the darkness away. Songs range from tales of old friends sticking fast as life nears its end, to the thrill of breathing in apples on the morning breeze, and the fears of a knock at the door that signals the end.34Telling stories is deeply human and has been since we started to become humans,34 says Kelly. 34A bit like what happens in my family at Christmas time with people doing an item, singing a song, telling a joke, telling a story. The third song on the record is a ghost story That039s what you do when you039re sitting around the fire.34The album features the grand splendour of Sailing To Byzantium, where W.B. Yeats039 beloved poem is set to music with the force and curve of a full band arrangement. There039s also the heart wrenching Happy Birthday, Ada Mae, written directly to his granddaughter, holding love, worry and care for her and our whole, precious, threatened world in deft balance. Other highlights include songs about two old friends sticking fast as life nears its end, a couple whose unbridled desire keeps finding new paths, and the simple pleasure of breathing in apples on the morning breeze. The album spans from intimate moments to epic storytelling, with Kelly drawing from sources as varied as Lord Of The Rings and the French Resistance to crows pecking at the limbs of Cicero.Like his previous work, SEVENTY is driven by Kelly039s longtime band in peak form. 34Looking back on what we039ve done with these songs, it039s really a band record,34 Kelly reflects. 34Peter Luscombe has been with me for more than 30 years, Bill McDonald and Dan Kelly for 20. Even the newbies Cameron Bruce and Ash Naylor have been with me since 2007.34Paul Kelly is poised to embark on his biggest shows in Australia and New Zealand to date, and his only live shows for 2025 ten huge arenas in Brisbane, Sydney, Hobart, Adelaide, Perth, Melbourne, Christchurch, Wellington and Auckland in August and September, proudly presented by Frontier Touring, Triple M AU and Stuff NZ. Joining him on this monumental tour will be special guest Lucinda WIlliams for the Australian shows, along with Fanny Lumsden AU shows and Reb Fountain NZ shows. As he prepares for this tour, fans can expect an unforgettable experience, showcasing both new material and timeless favourites from one of Australias most revered songwriters.