Reviewed by Jonathan Evans

This home produced four track cassette is the first offering from Haven (although two of them were reviewed as Desert Plains in Cross Rhythms last year). The tape was recorded 'live' on a portastudio, which inevitably means that some of the sound is a bit muddy, but definitely good enough to show off the band's talents. The overall feel of the music is reminiscent of early 70s rock, with some gutsy screaming vocals, distorted guitar sounds and occasionally some very nice jazzy piano. Three of the four songs are about relationships, the fourth being about Janis Joplin. (She died in the late 60s, so maybe that ties in with the 70s influence in the music.) After a few listens, I began to enjoy it a bit more, but it won't be a tape that I'll play that much. However, if reasonably heavy rock is your thing £1.50 isn't much to invest. Haven are planning to release a CD early next year.

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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