Reviewed by Paddy Hudspith

This is the second release from K2, a Merseyside (I'm guessing from the accents) outfit comprising composer/programmer Kevin J Herbert, lyricist Karl Clifton and vocalist Kevin Jones. My first impressions of 'Smile Jesus Loves U' weren't great as I opened up the packaging to find the inlay card made from two bits of paper - one of them the original CD-R packaging - glued together. Come on guys, make a bit more of an effort if you want to be taken at all seriously! Sadly the 10 tracks showcased here did nothing to inspire me further. Home-made, ham-fisted Casio keyboard soundscapes are punctuated by bizzare time signature changes and inappropriate percussion fills; Herbert wants to be Moby but has neither the ability nor the production budget to convince. The music alone was enough to make me lose patience with K2 but Kevin Jones' vocals are simply disastrous, tuneless performances which often sound made up on the spot. The lad just can't sing - Pop Idol's Simon Cowell would tear him to shreds in seconds. The single high point, if I can call it that, of the whole affair is the final track "Peaceful Afternoon", an instrumental (what a relief) which jettisons the unwieldy rhythm track and allows a gentle piano melody the room to breathe. I don't enjoy being so critical and would love to report something more encouraging about 'Smile.' but sadly I can't.

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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