Reviewed by Paddy Hudspith

This homegrown offering from South Africa's Nic-B presents to the world a diverse and intriguing debut from a relative latecomer to professional music. Nic picked up a guitar in his 30s and his enthusiasm for the instrument, along with a little piano tuition recalled from childhood, led him into songwriting and professional music; today Nic is proud that he "...hardly ever takes longer than about two hours to complete a song from start to finish". 'Why' showcases 12 of these tunes, and they fall into two general categories: confessional, intimate piano-led ballads ("Too Late", "I Am", the title track which interrogates the God who allows tragedies such as child death), and high concept narratives, some of which are quirky to say the least. Of the latter category, the likes of "John 8v7" (about Jesus' encounter with a woman caught in adultery) and "Farisee" (sic), which narrates Christ's encounters with the religious authorities, do pass muster although the songwriting is quite forced throughout. However, "Paradise", "Tongues" and the stark "Hell" (a first-person description of an unrepentant sinner's descent into the abyss and subsequent torment) are hard going. Couple this with the obviously limited production resources available to Nic-B, and it becomes difficult to recommend 'Why' wholeheartedly. Good ideas though, and plenty of heart and ambition, which will hopefully pay off in greater measure in future.

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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