It seems that Nick Cave's troubled life has moved into calmer waters. In the four years that have passed since his last studio album The Boatman's Call was released, he (re) married and became the father of twins. That homely happiness is reflected in many of the songs on No More Shall We Part. Musically this album is an extension of Murder Ballads (1996) and The Boatman's Call (1997), but lyrically
… it has changed a lot. Nick Cave has apparently grown tired of singing about dark subjects like death, because the central theme this time is love. As a result, his ballads sound for the first time as they were intended, without the sarcasm and dark humor of Murder Ballads. Nick Cave has also improved over the years and his voice and piano playing are given plenty of room to shine. The subtle guitar playing of Mick Harvey and the moody violins (arranged by Warren Elis of the Australian band Dirty Three) do the rest. Most beautiful songs are the opener As I Sat Sadly By Her Side, Gates To The Garden and the title track And No More Shall We Part, with beautiful background vocals from Kate & Anna McGarrigle. (MvP)more
