Reviewed by Mike Rimmer

If you've ever enjoyed listening to John Martyn records at three o'clock in the morning, then this is a must. Recorded in five days last summer with the help of Lies Damned Lies, Iain Archer has followed up the excellent 'Playing Dead' with nine songs and two instrumentals that highlight his fragile voice and fine lyrical guitar playing. The majority of this set is simply Iain and his guitar, vulnerable in the spotlight. Archer is a poet leaving the listener to draw conclusions from his word pictures. "Magical" and the title song describe different sides of romantic love with hurt and yearning in equal measures. "Flat Earth" sees Archer struggling lyrically to transcend his limited perspective of the universe, whilst "Moon On Tuesday" sees a poetic Archer indulging in some nocturnal head clearing. Alongside these laid back tunes, the rhythm of "Ancient Drums" is a startling observation that the rhythm of prejudice needs to be defeated before we can live in peace and the challenge is to kill of the sound of our own prejudices. The album closes with "Aching Hearted", so exquisitely delicately performed, it's almost possible to hear the beating of Iain's breaking heart. A tender and beautiful mellow moment to close an album of beautiful mellow moments.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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