Reviewed by Mike Rimmer

These days Eric Champion lives in Florida where he has formed this band with some local musicians including former GS Megaphone drummer Randall Shreve. The results are very good and with some high profile support slots, there deserves to be a big buzz building round about now! Champion wrote the songs and sings and this four track independent release simply highlights that Rook are already a tight little outfit. But this isn't simply Eric and a band as everybody else has a chance to shine. The strength of the ensemble approach is highlighted by the way that although this is driven by the band's twin guitars, there's still plenty of time for Pete Geiger's keyboards to add an extra dimension, particularly on piano. There's lots to love here including the moodiness of the closer "Last Chance" and the way that Champion has lost none of his knack for creating a killer hook on "Bad Memory" and "Let It Go". Overall though I think I probably like "Show The Way" the best as I'm a sucker for Champion's upbeat songs! Here's hoping an album is around the corner! I'd be happy to send my $15 in advance if it'd get them in the studio!

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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