Paul Kelly has celebrated a milestone year with new album Seventy.
Out today, the record “represents both a reflection on a life richly lived and a continuation of Kelly’s fearless exploration of what it means to be human.”
Seventy features memorable single “Rita Wrote a Letter”, which picks up the story from Kelly’s 1996 classic “How to Make Gravy”, only this time with Rita “loud and clear,” and Joe still talking from beyond the grave.
“I’ve been mulling over the idea of a sequel to ‘How to Make Gravy’ from Rita’s point of view for quite some time,” Kelly said about that track. “About five years ago I wrote down the words, ‘Rita wrote a letter,’ and thought, ‘There’s my title.’”
The song’s lyrics cut with the kind of wit and weight Kelly’s famous for: “Rita wrote a letter / One you don’t want to get from your wife / When Rita writes a letter / The pen is sharper than the knife.”
The album also features new single “Happy Birthday, Ada Mae”, which is accompanied by a tender music video, also out today.
Directed by Kelly’s daughter, Maddy Kelly, the clip features his granddaughter, two-year-old Ada Mae, in a moving meditation on love and legacy. Watch below.
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“In the end, love is all of us that remains,” Kelly reflects on the track’s core message. “It’s a joy working with my daughter and granddaughter. It fills my heart. Three generations in one little song,” he adds of the music video.
Director Maddy shares: “Having my dad write this song for my daughter Ada Mae was incredibly special. Her face lights up whenever she hears it — she thinks it’s her birthday again.
“When I was asked to direct the film clip, it felt like a full-circle moment. It was a beautiful task to capture the incredible bond between grandfather and granddaughter, and to preserve that love between my dad and my daughter. It’s a memory our family can cherish forever.”
On the live front, Kelly is set to headline the Red Hot Summer tour next year, bringing his legendary live performances to crowds across regional Australia.
Long before then, he’ll host a special intimate show at Melbourne’s Corner Hotel on Tuesday, November 11th. Tickets go on sale to the general public on Sunday, November 9th at 11am local time (ticket information here).
“This is a rare moment to see Paul and his band play a new album all the way through (and some old favourites) to celebrate the new music,” reads the description of the special show.
Rolling Stone AU/NZ was at Kelly’s Brisbane tour date earlier this year, and our headline said it all: “Paul Kelly reminds us why he’s Australia’s unofficial Poet Laureate.”
Paul Kelly’s Seventy is out now via Universal Music Australia.
