Crooked Calypso
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox album
| name = Crooked Calypso
| type = studio
| artist = Paul Heaton and Jacqui Abbott
| cover = Crooked Calypso Paul Heaton Jacqui Abbott.jpg
| alt =
| released = {{Start date|2017|7|21|df=yes}}
| recorded =
| studio = The Chairworks, CastlefordCrooked Calypso liner notes
| genre = {{hlist|Alternative|indie rock}}
| length = {{Duration|m=46|s=30}} (standard edition)
{{Duration|m=71|s=52}} (deluxe edition)
| label = {{hlist|Virgin EMI}}
| producer = John Owen Williams
| chronology = Paul Heaton
| prev_title = Wisdom, Laughter and Lines
| prev_year = 2015
| next_title = The Last King of Pop
| next_year = 2018
| misc = {{Extra chronology
| artist = Jacqui Abbott
| type = studio
| prev_title = Wisdom, Laughter and Lines
| prev_year = 2015
| title = Crooked Calypso
| year = 2017
| next_title = Manchester Calling
| next_year = 2020
}}
{{Singles
| name = Crooked Calypso
| type = studio
| single1 = I Gotta Praise
| single1date = 16 June 2017
| single2 = She Got the Garden
| single2date = 25 August 2017
}}
}}
Crooked Calypso is the third studio album by Paul Heaton and Jacqui Abbott, both formerly members of the Beautiful South. The album was released in the UK on 21 July 2017 by Virgin EMI.
When writing the lyrics for the album, Heaton again retreated to the Netherlands, while the music was written in Gran Canaria together with guitarist Jonny Lexus.{{Cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/Paul-Heaton-Jacqui-Abbott-Crooked-Calypso/release/10602594|title=Paul Heaton + Jacqui Abbott - Crooked Calypso - LP Liner Notes.|website=Discogs|date=21 July 2017 |language=en|access-date=2017-08-12}} The photography for the album was by Sean Welch, the bassist for The Beautiful South.
A deluxe edition was also available upon the album's release, which included a DVD of a live performance recorded at Scarborough Open Air Theatre on 5 August 2016.
Reception
{{Album ratings
|rev1=AllMusic
|rev1score={{rating|4|5}}{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/crooked-calypso-mw0003064735|title=Crooked Calypso - Paul Heaton, Jacqui Abbott {{!}} Songes, Reviews, Credits {{!}} AllMusic|publisher=All Media Network|last=Monger|first=Timothy|date=21 July 2017|accessdate=28 July 2017}}
|rev2=The Guardian
}}
Crooked Calypso attracted mainly positive reviews upon release. Writing for The Guardian, Rachel Aroesti comments how Heaton delivers "observations about British society's ironies and inequalities" with "gusto, his droll lyricism drilling into subject matter from obesity... and the cavernous divide between rich and poor... over a backing of the kind of jaunty pop that can take in folk, disco and blues without ever breaking its buoyant stride."
In a review for AllMusic, Timothy Monger wrote, "There's something refreshingly organic about their big productions, which layer strings and horns over a whip-tight rock combo that sways nimbly between Motown, R&B, and old-fashioned rock & roll within the breadth of just a few notes."
Track listing
{{Track listing
| headline = Crooked Calypso track listing
| title1 = I Gotta Praise
| length1 = 2:37
| title2 = He Wants To
| length2 = 3:48
| title3 = If I May
| length3 = 4:03
| title4 = She Got the Garden
| length4 = 3:20
| title5 = People Like Us
| length5 = 4:43
| title6 = Blackwater Banks
| length6 = 3:53
| title7 = The Lord Is a White Con
| length7 = 4:20
| title8 = Silence Is
| length8 = 4:00
| title9 = Love Makes You Happy
| length9 = 4:22
| title10 = The Fat Man
| length10 = 3:46
| title11 = Your Bit of Stuff
| length11 = 2:46
| title12 = He Can't Marry Her
| length12 = 4:52
}}
{{Track listing
| headline = Crooked Calypso – {{nobold|Deluxe edition (bonus tracks)}}
| title13 = Market Street
| length13 = 9:09
| title14 = Since My Dearest Husband
| length14 = 4:25
| title15 = The Future Mrs Heaton
| length15 = 6:37
| title16 = The Dice
| length16 = 5:16
}}
Charts
| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+ Chart performance for Crooked Calypso ! scope="col"| Chart (2017) ! scope="col"| Peak |
| {{album chart|Ireland2|10|artist=Paul Heaton|rowheader=true|accessdate=12 October 2022}} |
| {{album chart|Scotland|1|date=20170728|rowheader=true|accessdate=29 July 2017}} |
| {{album chart|UK2|2|date=20170728|rowheader=true|accessdate=29 July 2017}} |
Certifications
{{Certification Table Top|caption=Certification for Crooked Calypso}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|artist=Paul Heaton & Jacqui Abbott|title=Crooked Calypso|award=Silver|type=album|relyear=2017|certyear=2020|id=16667-3933-2|accessdate=10 September 2020}}
{{Certification Table Bottom|streaming=true | nosales=true | noshipments=true}}
References
{{reflist}}
{{Paul Heaton}}
{{Jacqui Abbott}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:Albums produced by John Owen Williams (record producer)