Reviewed by Mike Rimmer

The band name is a front for the highly talented Joey Belville. This is a British sounding pop album with the nearest comparison being Erasure because of the texture of Joey's vocals, the catchy hook lines and the bouncy pop sensibilities. Synths, guitars and groovy beats are intelligently combined to make this album an absolute must! Amongst a collection of gems "Face Of God" is a diamond. An insistent little tune with a redemptive lyric to remind you that God gives fresh starts. Another outstanding song is "'Science Fiction", subtitled "When You Smile" but don't be fooled by the happy dance groove, this is an observation of how easy it is to try to hide our pain with smiles. As I choose not to possess a television (so it doesn't possess me!) I love "Anthem", Joey's attack on the shallowness of that media, a theme later expanded on the pacy "Words" which examines the communication overload of modern culture. The haunting "Oxygen" has discordant musical phrases mirroring the lyrics (first time through I thought my CD player had slowed down!). Just an example of Joey's creative marriage of thought provoking lyrics and excellent pop music. This man deserves to be better known over here and this album is good enough to open everything up. Bet he's a killer live!

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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