Spottiswoode has never exactly been the type of songwriter to color inside the lines, and It Wasn’t In The Script proves he still has plenty up his sleeve. The Anglo-American artist, playwright, and bandleader turns his attention toward fatherhood this time around, crafting an album that’s sentimental without getting syrupy and funny without losing emotional bite. He embraces the bedlam, unpredictability, tenderness, and absurdity of parenthood all at once. This wildly eclectic record jumps from retro R&B to noir lounge jazz, Americana, gospel, and guitar rock.
The title track, “It Wasn’t In The Script,” kicks the door open with bustling percussion, shimmery cymbals, and thick steady beats that pulse with restless energy. Spottiswoode’s deep, expressive voice cuts sharply through the arrangement as he sings about life refusing to stick to neat storylines. There’s wit in his delivery, but also exhaustion and wonder, like a father realizing the rulebook got tossed out the window years ago. The groove feels lively and cinematic.
Elsewhere, “The Bullet’s Coming” slows things down into smoky lounge noir territory. Rustling cymbals and soft piano lines drift beneath his breathy whisper-singing, creating a hypnotic late-night atmosphere. Then those haunting harmonies slide in, “rich man, poor man, con man, gay man…” sounding ghostly and strangely comforting at the same time.
By the time closing track “Summer Day” arrives, the album sheds its playful armor and leans fully into vulnerability. Soft shimmering percussion and slow-burning guitar chords carry the song gently forward while Spottiswoode sings with aching sincerity. Then Martha Redbone’s soaring harmonies arrive near the end and absolutely raise the roof, swelling with rich vibrato and gospel intensity.
What makes It Wasn’t In The Script land so powerfully is its humanity. Spottiswoode is simply telling the truth, the messy, funny, bittersweet truth, and sometimes that hits harder than anything else.
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Review by: Naomi Joan