Nick Cave Idiot Prayer: Nick Cave Alone At Alexandra Palace 2LP

Stereophile: Performance 5/5 Stars / Sonics 4/5 Stars

TAS Rated 4.5/5 Music, 4/5 Sonics in the March 2021 Issue of The Absolute Sound!

Nick Cave performs solo at the piano, in a film shot in June 2020, at the iconic London venue. The film was streamed globally as a live experience, and will be released in cinemals globally in November 2020, featuring four previously unseen performances. The cinema release will be followed by an album available on vinyl.

In this unique performance, audiences around the world had the chance to watch Nick Cave play songs from his extensive back catalogue, including rare tracks that most fans heard for the first time. The songs are taken from across the breadth of Cave's career, including early Bad Seeds and Grinderman, right through to the most recent Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds album, Ghosteen.

Idiot Prayer is as up-close and personal an encounter with Cave as there's ever been. But a little mystery remains, always.

This double album, and the accompanying film, were recorded at Alexandra Palace in June 2020, when London was in full lockdown... This sense of isolation is captured on the stunning sleeve of this LP, a still from cinematographer Robbie Ryan's film of this streamed concert. Nick Cave sits alone at his piano in the vast hall, light streaming in. It's worth the purchase on vinyl, just for the photograph. In their starkness, the songs match the image. These are songs of grief and remorse, of fear but also hope. None were written for the pandemic; all come from his extensive back catalog, including his work with the Bad Seeds. Yet, they form the perfect commentary on this time. They are totally stripped-down versions. No other musician is present, just the piano to accompany his words. Cave's deep, booming voice is at times as righteous as an Old Testament preacher, whilst at other times it's as gentle as a lover. His songs often reference religion, so when an almost biblical plague is affecting humanity, they resonate more than ever. They speak to the time while articulating the strength of the human spirit. This is a remarkable album. Cave fans will love it, but even those ambivalent about Cave (like me) should give it a listen so as to experience its raw power... this album, with its themes, message, and hope, is global.

With its intimate and pristine recording, Idiot Prayer enters a spiritual realm. I was riveted during the entire broadcast, not making a sound, and so it is as I listen to the album now. It's like a prayer.