Reviewed by Ian Thomas

I wouldn't say there are things in this album I don't like: nearer the mark to say that there is room for improvement. Here we have an artist who comes across as a mixture, vocally, of early Squeeze and Larry Norman, and slightly less horizontal than J.J. Cale in his style - a lazy-fishing-day-on-the-river type approach - with a couple of decent catches to boot though I'm not sure about the opening, which threatens to burst into an advert for that coconut and chocolate Bounty bar. "Strange People" is a fun song about the bewilderment of living next door to a houseful of charismatic Christians. The lyrics do stretch credibility though. I mean, would you honestly call the Old Bill because that odd couple from next door darkened your heathen doorstep?  (They weren't impressed, either!) Squeezed between a couple of nearly orthodox testimony-type' numbers, on the other hand, is "Desperate", a gutsy, bluesy number that would have been greatly enhanced by a half- decent bass line. This, though, seems characteristic of the album; there is a smattering of bass, a hint of lead guitar, but neither emerge with any real character or zap. Musically, the album relies on keyboard, which is peculiar considering Paul's guitar prowess. Playing throughout is competent rather than special though the backing vocals stand out - reminiscent at times of those commandeered by Dylan on 'Saved'. A credit and a coup! All in all a reason­able album from one of the most talented of the new wave of Brit singer/songwriters. 

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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