Paul Kelly Fever Longing Still
Released Nov 1, 2024 Cooking Vinyl Limited
Consensus forming 3 professional reviews Updated Oct 15, 2026
Broadly positive consensus
Consensus is still forming across 3 professional reviews. Paul Kelly's Fever Longing Still turns familiar folk-rock craft into a vivid collection of stories about desire, memory, love and mortality.
How ChoruScore worksCritics' Top Tracks
The songs critics returned to most
Houndstooth Dress
2 critic mentions
“leaving in a recording of his voice giving key and tempo guidance at the beginning of Houndstooth Dress, a track recorded on its first take.” — The Guardian
Going to the River with Dad
2 critic mentions
“making for a tender introduction to a sweet recollection called “Going To The River With Dad.” — Glide Magazine
All Those Smiling Faces
2 critic mentions
“reminiscences become ultra vivid during “All Those Smiling Faces,” while the very absence of sentimentality there conjures a stoic sense of mortality as true-to-life” — Glide Magazine
Full critic consensus
Paul Kelly's Fever Longing Still turns familiar folk-rock craft into a vivid collection of stories about desire, memory, love and mortality. The critical consensus is warmly favorable: the album earns an 80/100 score across three professional reviews, with critics praising its band-first arrangements, lively musicianship and Kelly's enduring gift for detail. Rather than settling into one mood, the record moves between yearning and affection, melancholy and joy, giving its songs a lived-in variety that makes the strongest moments linger.
Several tracks emerge as highlights across the reviews. “Houndstooth Dress” pairs adoration with suggestive energy, while “Love Has Made a Fool of Me” brings an immediate spark. The tender family recollection of “Going to the River with Dad” and the mortality-minded “All Those Smiling Faces” provide some of the album's most affecting scenes. Critics also single out “Hello Melancholy, Hello Joy” for its emotional contrast and horns; elsewhere, “Taught By Experts” and “Double Business Bound” showcase bright pop songwriting and stark piano drama. Those differing textures reflect the record's roomy arrangements, where familiar players jangle, bustle, sigh and cry around Kelly's storytelling. The reviews share a sense that Fever Longing Still balances craft with emotional candor, though each finds its own standout moments. For anyone asking whether the album is worth hearing, the 80/100 reception and breadth of praised tracks point to a rewarding late-career collection. The detailed reviews below explore why its songs of longing and remembrance resonate.
Track Ratings
How critics rated each track, relative to this album (0-100). Only tracks that made critics feel something are rated.
Houndstooth Dress
Love Has Made a Fool of Me
Taught by Experts
Hello Melancholy, Hello Joy
Northern Rivers
Double Business Bound
Let's Work It out in Bed
All Those Smiling Faces
Harpoon to the Heart
Back to the Future
Eight Hours Sleep
Going to the River with Dad
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What Critics Are Saying
Deep insights from 4 critics who reviewed this album
Critic's Take
In a return to band-first songwriting Paul Kelly delivers Fever Longing Still with the kind of roomy, old-school variety that makes the best tracks stand out: “Houndstooth Dress” and “Love Has Made a Fool of Me” crackle with immediate life, while “All Those Smiling Faces” and “Going to the River with Dad” carry the record’s most moving moments. The reviewer revels in the album’s familiar players and live-room energy, noting how the band jangles, bustles, sighs and cries in equal measure. It is an album of desire and memory, songs shaped by the four Ds - desire, devotion, disappointment, death - that make the best songs on Fever Longing Still feel both classic and lived-in.
Key Points
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Houndstooth Dress is best for its immediacy and first-take energy, showcasing the band’s live-room vitality.
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The album’s core strengths are its band-focused arrangements, thematic focus on desire and memory, and old-school variety executed with warmth.
Themes
Critic's Take
Paul Kelly hardly repeats himself on Fever Longing Still, where “Houndstooth Dress” is as adoring as it is suggestive, and the musicianship teems with ideas. The best songs on Fever Longing Still make room for disarming contrasts: “Hello Melancholy, Hello Joy” frames an emotional point with horns, while “All Those Smiling Faces” conjures a stoic sense of mortality. “Eight Hours Sleep” moves like a lullaby, making for a tender introduction to the sweet recollection of “Going to the River with Dad.” Closing in such an intimate, affectionate fashion, this gifted artist hardly repeats himself.
Key Points
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“Going to the River with Dad” closes the album with a sweet recollection and an intimate, affectionate performance.
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The album’s core strengths are its idea-rich musicianship, practiced ensemble unity, and mature folk-rock arrangements.
Themes
Am
Critic's Take
Paul Kelly has always been a storyteller and on Fever Longing Still the best songs - particularly “Taught By Experts” and “Double Business Bound” - remind you why he still matters, with bright smart-pop craft and stark piano moments. Kelly slips between Springsteen-esque everyman vignettes and Costello-like relatability, and the record’s highlights marry that warmth with precise arrangements. Fans hunting for the best tracks on Fever Longing Still will find “Taught By Experts” a perfect smart pop song and “Double Business Bound” a potent, lonely piano moment. The album’s dozen songs consistently circle love found and lost, making the strongest tracks linger long after the record ends.
Key Points
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“Taught By Experts” is the standout for its perfect smart-pop craft and vocal showcase.
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The album’s core strength is Kelly’s consistent storytelling, blending everyman sketches with precise arrangements about love.