Kneel - Tales From The Secret Garden Of Cobwebs And Grapevine
STYLE: Roots/Acoustic RATING OUR PRODUCT CODE: 158459-23335 LABEL: Independent FORMAT: CD EP ITEMS: 1
Reviewed by Helen Whitall
This is a four-track debut solo EP from Manchester's Neil Roddy, lead singer of punk band Ambassadors Of Shalom. Stylistically this is low-key, slightly bluesy rock and, disappointingly given his work with Ambassadors of Shalom, rather average. The EP begins with the laid-back "Daddy I Was Shouting For You", with its nice guitar riff, before moving on to "Goodness And Love". Based around Psalm 23, the song carries a clear and defiantly hopeful message, although the lyrics don't always scan. "Renegade Monk" tells a fascinating story but is fairly ordinary melodically. The production on the first three tracks falls a bit flat, the instrumentation sounding muddy at times, and the vocals over-prominent, although the clarity and mix sound better on the final track. Overall, barring the excellent guitar work on "Smile", I feel there is little to make this EP stand out from the crowd.
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