Under The Mat - Models Of Perfection?

Sunday 1st February 1998
Under The Mat - Models Of Perfection?

STYLE: Roots/Acoustic
RATING 3 3 3
OUR PRODUCT CODE: 9639-CAS205
LABEL: Independent
FORMAT: Cassette EP
RRP: £4.00

Reviewed by Brian Carr

I find privately recorded projects such as "Models Of Perfection?' so tough to review as they inevitably have to stand comparison with 'mega bucks' productions. Ian "Doyle" Mills and Ivor Hutchinson are the two guys who form the duo Under The Mat and who live in Northern Ireland. They have put together five tracks that in their own words have a relaxed "stripped down" feel with primarily acoustic instruments. All the songs feature some fine guitar playing whether it's the sensitive "Deliverance" or the strong driving beat of "There's Always You" which is a touch repetitive hut emphasises the message that when everyone else fails us. God is always there for us. "Born To Be King" is perhaps a little too long but has a good melody and incorporates some electric guitar which at one point put me in mind of Bo Diddely on the old Chess record label. The strengths of this tape lie in the guitar playing and some thoughtful lyrics but suffers from poor vocals, which are off key in places and lack of imaginative song composition.

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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Reader Comments

Posted by Doyle Mills in OMAGH, N. Ireland @ 00:45 on Aug 2 2006

Thanks for a balanced review, Brian. It's good to see some positives, and I have taken on board the constructive criticism.
Under the mat don't exist any more but it was a fun project, although it may have been better if it had been taken more seriously at the time.



The opinions expressed in the Reader Comments are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms.

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