Stardom Road

Stardom Road is the thirteenth solo studio album by the British singer/songwriter Marc Almond. It was released by Sanctuary Records on 4 June 2007.

Background
Stardom Road was Almond's first new album after his involvement in a near-fatal traffic accident in October 2004. It is an album composed mostly of cover versions, a fact borne out of necessity as Almond found himself unable to write following the accident. Almond told Time Out that the album is intended as "a trip down memory lane, a musical journey from the 1950s to where he finds himself today".

The album features collaborations with Sarah Cracknell, Antony Hegarty and Jools Holland, with some of the tracks also featuring members of Jools Holland's Rhythm and Blues Orchestra.

Critical reception
The album was well received by critics overall. Thom Jurek in his AllMusic review calls Stardom Road Almond's "finest studio moment as a solo artist" and describes Almond's voice as having "never been less histrionic, yet more expressive". Record Collector critic Joel McIver calls Stardom Road "the campest album ever released" and summarises that it is "entertaining rather than cutting edge". The Manchester Evening News review notes the autobiographical concept and calls the album "a great comeback" that is "kitsch, camp, melodramatic, yet full of heartfelt emotion".

Personnel

 * Marc Almond – vocals
 * Trevor Barry – bass
 * Chris Dagley – drums
 * Robbie McIntosh – guitar, ukulele
 * Mike Smith – piano, harpsichord, recorder
 * Richard Henry – bass trombone
 * Winston Rollins – trombone
 * Dominic Glover – trumpet
 * Chris Storr – trumpet
 * David Powell – tuba
 * John Anderson – oboe
 * Marius de Vries – keyboards, programming
 * Lenny Plaxico – bass
 * Rob Burger – keyboards
 * Hugh Webb – harp
 * Andy Caine – backing vocals
 * Andy Ross – backing vocals
 * Anna Ross – backing vocals
 * Jools Holland – piano
 * Dave Swift – bass
 * Gilson Lavis – drums
 * Chris Holland – organ
 * Neal Whitmore – guitar
 * Igor Outkine – accordion
 * Isobel Griffiths – string contractor
 * Gavyn Wright – string leader