Gig review: Albert Hammond, Glasgow Oran Mor

More than 40 years and 1,000 songs down the production line, transatlantic songwriter Albert Hammond is looking for a bit of the limelight, or even just some public acknowledgement of the many hits he has had a hand in penning for other artists.

His Glasgow audience didn’t take much convincing, singing along in the club style to such chirpy tunes as Leapy Lee’s Little Arrows, The Fortunes’ Freedom Come, Freedom Go and Blue Mink’s Good Morning Freedom.

Hammond has written with the illustrious likes of Mike Hazlewood, Graham Lyle, Hal David, Carole Bayer Sager, Diane Warren and Richard Carpenter, but this stuffed setlist had more quantity than quality, demonstrating his capacity for a throwaway ditty in a 70s pop vaudeville style and ability to write in the image of his contemporaries Paul Simon, Cat Stevens and Donovan rather than forge his own style.

Strictly minor additions to the Johnny Cash and Roy Orbison catalogues contrasted with the relative sophistication of his own hits, the wistful It Never Rains In Southern California and 99 Miles From LA and the lively Free Electric Band, performed with the backing of a bassist and keyboard player.

Hammond’s nicely weathered tone and stripped-back arrangements suited this singer/songwriter material, but faltered on the big 80s cheese-on-toast numbers To All The Girls I’ve Loved Before, Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now and One Moment In Time before redemption came in the form of his finest moment, The Air That I Breathe, so good that Radiohead lifted the tune for Creep.

Rating: ***