Closer to the Flame

by Stephen Thomas ErlewineThe wait between Riff Raff and its follow-up was a full six years, so it isn't surprising that Closer to the Flame finds Dave Edmunds abandoning the new wave flourishes of his Jeff Lynne productions for a straightforward root rock sensibility. The record still suffers from a stiff production -- the rhythms are extremely mannered, and the sound of the record is slightly sterile -- but Edmunds manages to tear into a handful of driving rockers, including Mickey Jupp's "Don't Talk to Me" and "Stockholm," and his version of Al Anderson's "Never Take the Place of You" is his most affecting performance in years.