Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
Studio Two has borne witness to many bands over the years, if not in the studio next door, then certainly on stage in the off dark recess of a room that has captured the imagination and the glow of satisfaction in the eyes of all who pass under the neon red sign warning that recording is in progress and the sound that can be heard up and down Parr Street.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 7.5/10
Promises are not so easily kept, not in a world where the pull of seven billion people are all crying out for time and attention; it is a world where many get left behind, where hope is only alluded to in dreams or the ending of a nightmare and into which the best offering of peace for the mind and spirit might be to Leave the Light On so that you can find your way out of the dark.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10
The relief of being in a country where all forms of music are given a fair go, are to be congratulated for the feeling of exotic nature they bring to the ears of the local music lover, is to understand that the world is not to be confined to the borders of the North Sea, The English Channel or the coast of Wales and its mountain ranges casting their eye warily over the waters towards Ireland and the United States; music is after all above such petty things as borders and in the express train ride that is South Korea’s ENO G, the feeling of exotic is balanced out by the temptation of sound on offer in the best traditions of funk fusion and heartfelt lyrics.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * * *
The instrumental album is one that in many ways can carry more weight with the listener than any other particular style on offer; perhaps in part due to the musician or band allowing the freedom of thought to really take hold and flourish, permitted with grace to soar higher than those albums stuck rigid in their lyrical excellence.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10
There is a world into which darkness, the thrill of dusk and the shadows that fall in between is not something to be concerned with, rather it is to be celebrated and allowed to grow strength in the act of consummation; it is knowing that the dark is not only infested by the escaped shadows from the realms of light, it is a place of glory into which dreams can be made; like hearing the words of passengers crossing the Golden Gate Bridge, sometimes you have to Listen To California to appreciate life.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
The planet and its inhabitants are not just mostly water, they rely on it, poison it, drink it and consume it; it is almost the ultimate in self cannibalism; drop by drop, sea by sea and Ocean By Ocean, we are awash with the truth of life and yet so few actually feel how open we have to be with ourselves to ever feel clean.
Liverpool Sound and Vision rating 8.5/10
People forget just how much America is a country that is arguably divided between its own extremes, of the huge and imposing cities that dominate the East and West Coasts, the mega towers that lay in between and the heartlands, the ranges and flatlands that can only look upwards and onwards with either envious eyes or more frankly with pity. It is the extremes, the separation in wealth, poverty, attitude and political alienation that drives the country to its position of dominance and its ability to give music of most genres the fair crack of the whip; after all such diversity will always throw up new heroes to worship and Kentucky is always wild about a new hero.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
It is often surprising when music appears out of seemingly nowhere and the entrancing sound that follows the discovery is almost akin to tracing the White Nile to its source and finding that the waters are intrinsically linked forever to The Tweed; music and water are universal, they both play the same song in the hearts of humanity.
For Paul Chamberlain and Michael Haywood, their debut album First Impression is one in which to savour the joy of discovery that the accordion, saxophone, violin and clarinet not only sit together well as they dance upon the knife edge of innovation but they can produce such uplifting and gregarious beauty as it flows along the entire recording.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
The path taken alone can either be one filled with wonder or one that leads to a dark place, one that is filled with promise and the objective of new beginnings or the solitary trail that is hindered by vines, haunting memories and sad reflection, both though lead to a certain desire, one that is unyielding and creatively relentless.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10
It may be considered unlawful but to love Eliza Neals’ new album Breaking and Entering is to know that out there in the land of Blues the flag is forever being flown and with great pride by the women of the genre.