Reviewed by Peter Smith

This is produced by Steve Griffith of Gaga Studios and has Nashville class written all over it. Kid Promise comprises two young Paul Merton lookalikes from Indiana - Quinton Gibson and Bradley Beckley. Together with a bunch of slick session musicians, they offer an incisive set of songs aimed at encouraging believers and inspiring the unsaved. This is one of the most intensely musical records I've heard for a long time. The vocal harmonies blend with the understated, but nevertheless masterly, guitar work to produce something that sounds like a collaboration between Michael Jackson and 10cc with vocals that could teach E17 a thing or two. 11 strong tracks with not a duff song on the album! Some of the arrangements are so heavily influenced by MJ that it's sometimes difficult to tell the difference and the Slash style guitar riff leading into track two cannot be a coincidence. If you're more into TOTP than NME, this is definitely for you.

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