Reviewed by Graeme Crawford

Almost Elliot are a new young group from Chard in Somerset, who initially formed as a covers band at school. Now based in their church, and with an expanded membership, this single is the first of their new material to be aired. Singer/guitarist Nick Boyland writes the songs and states that he is trying to express how he feels about God and "how much we all need him". Boyland has obviously been practising his craft over a period of time and attempts to write intelligent, meaningful lyrics that are God-centred, but appealing to the secular market as well. The band work well together and come across as more than competent musicians. On the title track the sound is a bit muffled, especially the drums, however the cymbals and Hayley Boyland's backing vocals are slightly too strong in the mix. The vocal mix is better on the second track, which is an acoustic version of a previous song. I'm not sure that the vocal harmonies work especially well, with parts of "Laodicea" being particularly grating. However the verses of "Never Fade Away" do utilise the harmonies well, so it is not an impossible situation to correct. I would expect to hear more from this interesting and talented group.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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