Artist – Ian Prowse
Album – No Names
Released – 3rd July 2026
Reviewer – Alan O’Hare, Liverpool Acoustic
“The Cleaner finds herself on the frontline…”
So begins the strings and horns-assisted main section of single The Cleaner, the soul-infected heart of the fifth solo album from Ian Prowse. The song itself opens with a Proud Mary-esque swagger and a falsetto vocal incantation from Prowse’s musical mentor, Elvis Costello. So far, so impressive. But you’d expect nothing less from an aspirant artist whose best work has always aimed for truth and prescience.
Other special guests on the much-anticipated LP from the Does This Train Stop On Merseyside’songwriter include Irish singer Damien Dempsey (vocals, guitars and co-writing on the indefatigable When Bobby Was Alive) and erstwhile Waterboys fiddle maestro Steve Wickham (on superb shuffle, Rendezvous Point). Closer to home, Prowse’s band mates in live heroes Amsterdam bring meanderingly melodic string lines, fluttering flutes and urgent electric guitars to a set of songs that are concise, considered and chock-full of musical class and lyrical class consciousness.
The heartbreaking Mo’s Wheel and its “vintage pain” could soundtrack any hit northern Netflix roots drama, Born In A Merry Hour will take you all the way to Stratford-Upon-Avon via REM and Shakespeare, while title-track No Names is a noir narrative that pulls no punches telling its Springsteen-esque story walking on top of a melody so magnificent and melodic, Noel Gallagher might drop a tenner bending down to pick it up. “With their festive lights and their TVs bright, it felt like they was mocking me” goes a line near the end of the album on winter’s tale, 300 Miles From Home. As the last of the music fades from a raging organ, pounding drums and one determined howl, it becomes clear that Prowse’s songs aren’t just for Christmas…
This is music of a lifetime.
© 2026 Alan O’Hare, Liverpool Acoustic
No Names is available now on all streaming platforms. Better still, why not buy it directly from Ian’s website?