Reviewed by Chris Sharp

Out Of Ruin brothers Ben and Gram Messer hail from Arizona and it seems their introductory 'Black To White' mini-album is a somewhat different experience to what you might expect from a live gig as an "acoustic duo". As soon as you hear the rhythmic guitar intro to "When You Seek", comparisons to bands such as Jars Of Clay are inevitable. However, as you progress through the CD you will hear the contrasting rock influences break through that bring Luna Halo to mind. For me the opening track and the closing "Black To White" are the stronger tracks that show the full range of what Out Of Ruin have to offer. Unfortunately, listening to the songs between these two tracks my attention wanders. The quality of production is outstanding considering this is an independent release and I particularly liked the understated use of "live" strings, but there is nothing here that really grabs the attention. There are a couple of musical interludes included which would be more at home on a full album, here they just don't seem to quite fit. It will be interesting to see what musical direction the band takes in the future and whether the rock wins out over the acoustic pop or eclecticism remains. In 'Black To White' Out Of Ruin have produced a "grower", something that whets the taste buds in anticipation of a full album release.

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