This Time It's Personal (John Cooper Clarke and Hugh Cornwell album)

The album was conceived by Hugh Cornwell, when drunk and listening to "MacArthur Park", he wondered what the song would sound like if Clarke had sung it. Having spent dinner with Clarke weeks before, he rang him up and asked him if he was interested. Clarke was receptive to the idea, and after covering "MacArthur Park", the two decided to make an album of songs from their youth, with Clarke on vocals and Cornwell on guitars. "This is the music Hugh and I listened to at a similar age, the music we heard on radio growing up," Clarke said in 2017. "Not everyone had a record player, so radio was much more important then and we wanted to capture that." ''This Time It's Personal'' marks Clarke's singing debut on an album, and his first album release since 1982's Zip Style Method. ==Release==

The album was released on 14 October 2016 by Sony. ==Critical reception==

The Arts Desk, rating the album 4 stars out of 5, called the album "great 20th-century pop at its shortest, sweetest, and lingering best... Warm, rich and full of heart." Clarke's delivery, they felt, "works perfectly against the skeletal, echoey guitars of Cornwell," adding, "there's a sense of austere clarity and simplicity, as opposed to indulgence or nostalgia." ==Track listing==

The main performers on the album are: • Dr John Cooper Clarke – vocals • Hugh Cornwell – guitar, drum programming, backing vocals (track 7) Other musicians on the album include: • Phil Andrews – keyboards, programming, drum programming, accordion (track 10) • Ian Anderson – flute (track 5) • Lettie Maclean – backing vocals (track 4) • Ben Waghorn – saxophone (tracks 1, 2) • Hilary Kops – trumpet (tracks 2, 3) Technical crew include: • Hugh Cornwell – producer, mixing • Phil Andrews – engineer, mixing • Scott Minshall – design • Donal Whelan – mastering • Dean Chalkley – photography • Joanna Kalli – project manager == References ==