Reviewed by Simon Redfern

After a five year break, singer/songwriter Lamont Hiebert and the assorted accompanists he calls Ten Shekel Shirt are back with 'Jubilee', an album that owes much of its content to Lamont's work with the charity Love 146 which he co-founded in 2003 when the band took a break from music. The charity works towards ending child slavery and exploitation and has gained recognition from many including awards from GQ Magazine and a MySpace Impact award. Don't be put off this album though by the heavy subject matter as with deft playing and intelligent songwriting a very strong message of hope is communicated all the way through. The title track is a prime example of this, being based on a true story of a young girl being released from the bonds of slavery. It is a mid-tempo pop/rock track which on top of the lyrics keeps things pretty upbeat. Musically and even vocally there are occasional similarities in style to Coldplay, especially noticeable in tracks like the aforementioned "You Rescue"' and "'Spark"', but the lyrical content of 'Jubilee' elevates this above that bands miserablism. There are some more chilled tracks such as "En Garde" but I personally got more out of the slightly more upbeat material. This is certainly a worthy and welcome return for Ten Shekel Shirt.

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.