Ordinary Giants: A Life & Times 1918-2018

Robb Johnson is a remarkable singer-songwriter who won acclaim with 1997's Gentle Men, an album that used his grandfathers' lives to explore World War I. Ordinary Giants is even more ambitious, ranging across three CDs and 100 years, Johnson (with a host of guest musicians) tells stories from his family, beginning with the end of World War I and finishing with his father's death in 2013. There's a family coda for 2018 but nothing about Brexit or the like. Many other important political events, from world wars to street battles in Notting Hill, are referenced along the way.

Johnson is a gifted songwriter who manages to pack plenty of detail, often as told by a character, into his songs. Having the likes of Rory McLeod, Miranda Sykes, Roy Bailey, Jenny Car and even Dennis Skinner MP on board (among others) makes for a great variety of voices. The family narrative keeps moving forward at a pace and is often vivid, dramatic and witty all at once. Yet it also means that this functions more as radio drama than an album of songs: I listened fascinated but now, knowing the stories and punchlines, I'm not sure I will feel the need to listen again. Ordinary Giants is a remarkable achievement and one I'd like to hear on national radio and see performed on stage across the UK.