Reviewed by Keith Singleton

This privately recorded tape starts off well with distorted power chords and good solid bass line, but then two problems are revealed -Richard's voice has the minimum of feeling and the vocals are too low in the mix. This is less of a problem on the two or three tracks where he employs the services of his producer on backing vocals. Some songs also seem to leave him breathless as he tries to fit the lyrics in. All the songs, which are self-penned, demonstrate a reasonable writing ability, with the exception of "Underground", written from the point of view of someone who is dead and buried! I can only hope that this has been written tongue-in-cheek ("It's not as bad here as it's made out to be/It is quite quiet but it will come alive one day"). Ahem... The workstation sounds wear on you after a couple of listens as they're very similar throughout the tape. Richard suggests in the liner notes (just about legible in black text on a purple background) that for best results you should disconnect the loudspeakers. I wouldn't quite go that far, but I think he should be more selective with choice of songs, maybe use more instruments (or at least different sounds) and try to sing with more feeling.

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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