Reviewed by Mike Rimmer

‘To Chase Away The Birds’ features an early line up of Waterdeep finding their musical feet with songs from the pen of band leader Don Chaffer before his wife Lori joined them. Some of these have become staples of the band’s live set and are featured on other albums, most notably the slow version of the excellent “Sweet River Roll” which is probably my fave Waterdeep song and appears on their Squint release ‘Everyone’s Beautiful’. The nine minute “On A Night That Felt Outdated” points towards the band’s ability to find a gorgeous vibe, combine it with a groove and let it flow. Elsewhere early incarnations of “Scared”, “Everybody’s Guilty” and “The Razor Light” show that from the beginning Waterdeep always looked likely to be a band that would go the distance. Don Chaffer’s songs as usual cut through the baggage straight to the heart of issues, full of compassion and light, shining into the darkness.

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