Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

The guaranteed presence of Liverpool’s Barry Briercliffe is such that he will never be at the back of anyone’s mind, his upbeat musicianship, his personality, all combine to give any song he releases a special place in the hearts of those who have followed his pleasurable rise and dedication to music; and yet we never see our own ghosts that lurk and prowl, so how do we expect to understand those that haunt others, when we hear them say at The Back Of My Mind lays memories that play with my psyche, that leave me cold, that never leave me alone.

Barry Briercliffe is unafraid of tackling a subject that may not feel exactly cozy, indeed it is to the honour of the man that he is able to bring a sense of exuberance and enthusiasm to the world even when the lyric is darker, when it is shrouded in the that in which we crucify ourselves upon; namely in this case perhaps the expectations of our former selves and those we held up so much promise to.

We cannot serve the ghosts of expectation, and yet we are bound to them, forever thinking of them, attached to them by an invisible force that is only dispelled when the art conjures and weaves the energy to silence the whispers of mistakes and grandeur in such a way that, in his own indomitable style, as well as tremendous lyrics by the ever gracious Eddie Cooney, the command that Mr. Briercliffe provides means the past is eased and the back of the mind is released from its prison and suffering.

To be once more in the presence of Barry Briercliffe’s musical ability, to know that there is a large heart at the end of the song waiting to explore the freedom of joy is to know that the world does care; you just have to find the reason to help it make you live.

Ian D. Hall