Reviewed by Tony Cummings

 Take two ex-members of one of the best bands ever to grace mainstage Greenbelt (Talking Drums if you didn't know), add a sensitive singer/songwriter whose poignantly haunting album ‘Waving And Drowning' was a little gem (Steve Butler if you can't recall) and what do you get ... Lies Damned Lies. The spectacle of three such obvious talents as Butler, Pat Reid and Charlie Irvine recording such a stereotyped, third rate album of power pop cliches is galling. But not entirely unexpected. After all didn't Rickey Ross use Butler’s Sticky Music Glasgow indie as a stepping stone to Deacon Blue paydirt? So why not these eminently more talented guys? So here they are, having signed with a major and trying to go Top 20. The fact that in the process they've settled for singing banal songs about ‘lurve' and have lost all their musical cutting edge in a blaring Stewart Levine production of awesome predictability is just too sad. Now watch 'em hit.

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.