STYLE: Roots/Acoustic RATING OUR PRODUCT CODE: 127824-19404 LABEL: Risen FORMAT: CD Album ITEMS: 1
Reviewed by Elliot Rose
In contrast to his previous solo work and releases by Escapade, John Prockter's approach on this set, originally released in 2010, is very stripped back, calm and rooted in simple melodies and chord structures. The foundation of each song is an acoustic guitar, which by the way John plays beautifully and maturely, when strumming full chords or picking out melodies, though I would have liked to hear him venture up the fretboard a bit more, like in "In My Heart". The simplicity throughout is touching and emotional, particularly through the personal lyrics which trace the last decade of John's life, and delivered by a poignant vocal. Although his voice does the job adequately (except for a few falsetto notes), it wouldn't have hurt to include a few more vocal harmonies - the duet with Emily Brake "Take Your Hand" boasts an exquisite example. Also, the piano in the first four tracks adds depth to the arrangements rather missing on some of the later songs. But this is still an impressive set from one of Britain's most underrated singer/songwriters.
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