Reviewed by Paul Keeble

This is a six - well five and a bit - track EP from a Cheltenham-based singer/songwriter which in the first four songs cover a lot of styles and hint at a wide number of influences, from the electric opener "Jawbone" to the acoustic "Design" with "If You Miss Me" being a bit of both with a '70s prog feel (if that's possible in less than four minutes). "New" starts with a scratchy drum sample intro before opening out into a lovely piano figure and an arrangement featuring Hammond organ. Then we have "(turn the tape over)", a 20 second filler distancing the last track "The Fake Shall Be First" from the rest of the EP. The reason? This is yet another style - would you believe an Eminem-like rap? Pretty good too. No overtly Christian sentiments in the well crafted lyrics that sit nicely in the music, but plenty of hints and food for further thought (see also Esther, Book of), such as: "If you were here what would you have to say/Of my cynical frame of mind?/I always break down/This is my design' ("Design"). This is a talented musician brimming with ideas and a hat-full of good melodies getting an excellent sound out of a small budget. And he reviews for Cross Rhythms! What more could one ask?

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