Reviewed by Martin I Smith

This is the Northumberland-based singer/songwriter's second self-produced effort. It has snap shots of inventive and atmospheric songwriting, however as a full album, 'Strange Things Afoot At The Circle' is an underwhelming experience consistently dampened by poor vocals and largely flat production. In fairness, Mike admits to not being a proficient vocalist, but truthfully while there are minute patches where his voice is passable within the stylistic context of a song, mostly they would be more enjoyable as instrumentals. In fact the strongest cut here is the instrumental "Jessie's Song", a piano driven piece that carries an effective melancholy mood and demonstrates something of Mike's potential should he refocus his musical direction. There are some very listenable and varied passages of sombre strings and quiet delicate melodies within the record. The heavier moments in the album's progression are unfortunately tainted by hollow guitar sounds and tinny drums. If Mike could build on the positive elements found here he could potentially produce an enjoyable album. For the CD buyer, however, the little nuggets of gold are buried too deep for a comfortable listening experience.

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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