Paul Kelly, Fever Longing Still Review

by Nolan Conghaile

Paul Kelly, the troubadour whose voice has carried the stories of countless Australians for over four decades, returns with Fever Longing Still. This album is Kelly’s first collection of original material since Nature in 2018, and it sees him delving once more into that familiar yet ever-mysterious territory: love. Here, Kelly explores love as fever and balm, as fleeting yet eternal, spanning relationships with lovers, family, and memory itself. Recorded at Neil Finn’s Roundhead Studio in New Zealand, Kelly’s collaboration with long-time band members infuses the album with a warmth that is equal parts nostalgia and adventure—the sound of a seasoned artist and his trusted ensemble embarking on yet another journey together.

With Fever Longing Still, Kelly draws inspiration from Shakespeare’s Sonnet 147, taking listeners into a world that moves between yearning and contentment, grief and solace. This record is, in many ways, a culmination of Kelly’s life’s work: an album rooted in his poetic sensibilities, drawing upon a career of stories shared and lessons learned.

The opening track, “Houndstooth Dress,” is playful and storied, brimming with the warmth of domesticity. Kelly spins a tale about a second-hand dress that becomes a cherished symbol, celebrating the beauty of everyday love. The guitars, led by Dan Kelly’s chiming electric part, give the song a timeless, easygoing feel—almost like stepping into a well-loved memory, one that grows sweeter with time.

“Harpoon to the Heart” is a song that is reminiscent of country-influenced music. Kelly’s lyrics portray love as a relentless pursuit, likening it to a harpoon embedded deep within—inescapable and enduring. Inspired by Chet Atkins and Les Paul, the guitar work here lends the song a playful quality that contrasts the longing of the lyrics, capturing love’s dual nature: a tender ache and a joyful chase. Ashley Naylor and Paul Kelly are joining Kelly on guitar.

“All Those Smiling Faces” reflects on family, memory, and the passage of time. Kelly paints vivid pictures of generations past, invoking the imagery of flipping through an old family photo album. The influence of poets like Dana Gioia, Wislawa Szymborska, and Thomas Hardy weaves through the lyrics, lending an evocative, almost wistful quality to the song. It’s an exploration of love through the lens of heritage—of faces that change but never truly disappear.

“Double Business Bound” carries Cameron Bruce’s gentle piano support for the first time through the form. Naylor’s slide guitar and Paul Kelly’s harmonica add to the song’s allure. The lyrics tell a more complex tale, hinting at deeper struggles and inner conflicts. The slide guitar curls around Kelly’s vocals, creating a sense of longing and evoking Australia’s dusty roads and open skies. It’s a track that balances lightness with gravity, as if inviting listeners to look beyond the surface of what seems like a simple tune.

Adding psychedelia of seventies rock, “Hello Melancholy, Hello Joy” captures the quintessential duality of human experience. The horns burst in, almost celebratory, framing the lyrics’ contrasts with an exuberant energy. Kelly’s words take us through a series of opposites: “We’re the fever, we’re the balm / We’re the limerick and the psalm.” The track’s embrace of sorrow and elation feels almost defiant, urging listeners to hold joy and melancholy as intertwined parts of life. The repetition of “joy, joy, joy, joy!” is both a celebration and a reminder of resilience—an invitation to dance in the face of sorrow.

The instrumentation on Fever Longing Still showcases Paul Kelly’s seasoned band at their peak. The interplay between electric and acoustic guitars, the Farfisa organ, and the steel guitar adds richness to each track, creating textures that shift between folk, country, and rock. Peter Luscombe’s drumming and Bill McDonald’s bass create a solid foundation, while Bruce’s keys add layers of melody and depth. The arrangements feel organic—almost as if they were born from long, meandering jam sessions where the songs took on lives of their own.

Kelly’s vocal delivery remains raw and evocative. With its slightly reedy timbre, his voice suits these songs perfectly, conveying both the weight of experience and the lightness of fleeting moments. There is a palpable sense of trust among the musicians—trust that allows for both tight cohesion and the freedom to explore. This spontaneity shines through in tracks like “Houndstooth Dress,” where Kelly’s voice giving tempo guidance at the start is left in the final mix, adding to the intimate, behind-the-scenes feel of the album.

Kelly has always been a master of capturing the human condition in all its messy, contradictory beauty, and Fever Longing Still is no exception. The lyrics on this album oscillate between tenderness and grit, embracing love in all its forms—as devotion, as desire, as disappointment. In “Hello Melancholy, Hello Joy,” Kelly revels in life’s dualities, painting love as both fever and balm, as something that uplifts and something that weighs heavy. The imagery throughout the album is vivid and literary, with references that hint at Shakespeare, Szymborska, and even the warmth of familial anecdotes.

“Harpoon to the Heart” captures love’s tenacity—an unrelenting presence that refuses to fade, while “All Those Smiling Faces” is a poignant reminder of how love threads through generations, binding us to those who came before. There’s an honesty in Kelly’s storytelling that cuts straight to the heart—he doesn’t shy away from the shadows, nor does he dwell there; instead, he invites listeners to embrace the full spectrum of feeling.

Fever Longing Still is an album that hits the senses like a gathering of old friends—comfortable, warm, yet filled with surprises. There’s a familiarity in the way Kelly and his band approach these songs, but each track carries its own unique spark, driven by the collective energy of musicians who have spent decades creating together. It’s a record that acknowledges the weight of years while celebrating the moments that make those years worthwhile. Paul Kelly’s ability to craft songs that speak to universal experiences is undiminished as he captures in song the enduring power of love—messy, joyful, sorrowful, and everything in between—told through the eyes of one of Australia’s most beloved storytellers.