Reviewed by Ewan Jones

Creepy Cool is the alter-ego of Boston, Lincolnshire-based songwriter Dean Riches. Self proclaimed purveyor of "goth folk", Riches describes himself as "a busker without pretension and a musician without ego". 'Poor Man's Blues' is a 10 track, self-recorded album with the Poor Geezers and is released with six demo outtakes - the whole package, from recording to design, couldn't be more DIY if it tried. To be honest, the mic in a room, spoken/sung vocals, warts and all approach is charming for about two songs but for this reviewer it didn't take long to cross the line to frustrating. The busker-folk punk aesthetic starts to wear pretty thin, with one or two of the tracks being completely unlistenable - if you manage to make it to the end, the final demo track of "Be Transformed" - a scathing attack on hypocrisy - might just finish you off as the out of time drums clatter along to distorted vocals quoting Romans 12:2. There are some interesting moments; clear flashes of tongue-in-cheek humour sit amongst sharp social comment, "One Flesh" is a bittersweet love song with teeth, while a cover of Ralph McTell's "Streets Of London" is peppered with Riches' commentary on the reality of those who are homeless and living in poverty in the city. Still, good intentions don't make a good listen and this is frankly, hard work.

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.

Interested in reviewing music? Find out more here.