Play 90 second soundbite of 'One More Time For Peace' @ 'CD quality'
Chapman's vocal style was not and probably still is not to everyone's taste; his gritty, often forced sound is not always easy on the ear. But, Chapman is a great performer and puts everything into his work and 'One More Time For Peace' is no exception; Chapman growls his way through ten original compositions here and takes the listener on an eclectic ride through rock, country and gospel in his very own inimitable way before finishing on an amazingly passionate and typically evocative Chapman-esque version of 'Jerusalem'.
'One More Time For Peace' is quite a diverse work and showcases Chapman's 'love it or hate it' way of doing things. For newcomers Chapman will come as a bit of a surprise; with growling vibrato and pained delivery this may be a bridge too far ( just think of similarly gravely voiced Joe Cocker in home-grown blues mode). For 'old hands' it'll be something warm and welcoming and long missed. For me, it's good to have Roger Chapman back on course and givin' it some as only he can. Musically this album is practically as good as it gets; supreme musicianship, big, courageous arrangements and truly sympathetic performances. The songs are strong but not totally mind-blowin' and do take a bit of listening to.
'One More Time For Peace' is Chapman at his most honest and rawest. There's a distinctly 'live' element to the way he lays down his vocals to the superbly crafted instrumentation - a real feeling of genuine reality in the way Chapman almost sticks two fingers up to the rigours of double tracking, editing and post-production - this is Roger Chapman at his most vocally naked, take it or leave it!
I have to admit that even for someone who championed Roger Chapman all those years ago, 'One More Time For Peace' still came as a bit of a shock; this really is a 'cut to the bone' vocal performance that takes a bit of listening to. The gospel element comes through big and strong and Chapman certainly makes you believe in his songs through his downright earthy and committed passion. I'll be interested to see how Roger Chapman fares with this new venture. I hope it works for him but I can't help but feel it'll be his long suffering followers that will be the backbone of his fanbase and that he'll struggle to pull in new believers.
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