Reviewed by Jonathan Bellamy

Well, their legions of fans will be pleased this is finally out, AND on CD too. Fast making a name for themselves in the Eden Burning mould (though a little more folky) Somerset's Why? are an exciting group to discover with bags of promise. Colourful and innovative and sporting a full set of Celtic clubs (fiddle, mandolin, bouzouki, washboard, banjo, accordion) they have wended their merry way to many a popular gig and indeed share the same bill as lona and EB at this year's Glastonbury fest. So, what of their new release 'Giggle'? Well, no bones about it, it's pretty good. The three p's are excellent (packaging, production and promotion) and the all round creativity and thought that has gone into every detail puts most other private releases in the shade. Musically too, with a bargain 12 tracks, there's lots here for many an ear. My favourites are the splendid "While Rome Burns" with the manically fiddling Shona, and the slower "The Banks Of The Suez Canal". Loads of catchy riffs, instrumentals and some splendidly contemporary lyrics. In the recent Cross Rhythms Artists Directory their advert ran "Why? Coz it's fun." They are. They brought a smile and a giggle to me anyway. More than that however they are socially aware, youthfully relevant and boldly uncompromising with their Christian beliefs. Let's hope they're here to stay for a long while yet.

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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