Reviewed by Helen Whitall

This is a four-track debut solo EP from Manchester's Neil Roddy, lead singer of punk band Ambassadors Of Shalom. Stylistically this is low-key, slightly bluesy rock and, disappointingly given his work with Ambassadors of Shalom, rather average. The EP begins with the laid-back "Daddy I Was Shouting For You", with its nice guitar riff, before moving on to "Goodness And Love". Based around Psalm 23, the song carries a clear and defiantly hopeful message, although the lyrics don't always scan. "Renegade Monk" tells a fascinating story but is fairly ordinary melodically. The production on the first three tracks falls a bit flat, the instrumentation sounding muddy at times, and the vocals over-prominent, although the clarity and mix sound better on the final track. Overall, barring the excellent guitar work on "Smile", I feel there is little to make this EP stand out from the crowd.

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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