Play 90 second soundbite of 'The Reaper' @ 'CD quality'
Even as the exquisite 'The Reaper' starts out I'm already impressed. A very classy piece punctuated by some great bass and keyboard work. Strong, wailing vocals soar over phased instruments giving a real buzz! Lyrically excellent and beautifully worked this has a great feel. Surely this standard can't be kept up?
Well, maybe it can. Because as 'Silent Slippers' opens with its catchy harmonica refrain it's obvious that what we have here is going to be a bit special. Light and shade abound as vocal harmonies are worked over some effective keyboard work.
And so it goes on. Not a bad or even weak track to moan about. From heaving, up tempo, melodic 'rock' to slow, soulful ballads and a sizeable chunk of contemporary country. There's something for all here. The running order seems to have been very well thought out 'cuz you're never sure what's coming up next; it's just a continuous barrage of finely honed, skilfully written, silky songs!
There's not even one track to single out as being exceptional because they're all so bloody good. All right, it may not be for the full blooded rockers out there but so what; this sort of material has such appeal that it would go down well with most other true music-heads.
Oh, hang on I've just realised where Bookerfinch have slipped up here. During the beautiful country laced 'Anyone who Had a Heart' there's some really nice girlie backing vocals. Trouble is I can't find out who it is 'cuz the cover has no info on who's who and who does what. So there!! Anyway, just moving onto one more track, 'Someone To Call My Own' is another stunningly good slow, mournful piece rather reminiscent of Supertramp - and that aint bad either. There's just such variety here, it's such an impressive collection of songs performed superbly. Listen and enjoy. Listen and be moved. Listen and be impressed.
What makes this album even more exciting is the fact that Bookerfinch perform these songs just as well or maybe even better live - frightening stuff!
What a great album!! What a great band!!
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