| Brett
Riches, former member of OTAC band, The Little
People, arrives after a two-year break with his
debut full-length solo album. ALOVE takes a long
hard listen and comes out pleasantly stunned.
Brett Riches arrives at the forefront of this
new wave of ALOVE talent with an album birthed
from his experiences in Johannesburg working with
Aids orphans on the delightfully named Bella Vista
estate (all proceeds from the record go towards
the charity Hope HIV- www.hopehiv.org
). As soon as the opening track roars into life
with its edgy dissatisfaction and epic chord progression
the listener knows they are in for a real treat.
Not only is the musicianship (Brett is joined
by some of his OTAC cohorts) luminous, but the
writing (shared on two tracks with Matt Leeder)
is at once melodically mature and thematically
delicate. Brett’s vocals are of particular
note as he laces primary color melodies with character
performance and professional tone that, refreshingly,
takes its lead more from mainstream heavyweight
Martin Grech than from Christian benchmark Martin
Smith.
Another pleasantly surprising quality is that,
for a debut 12-track album, there is little filler.
Each song contains its own delicacies fro the
ear and the heart from the empathetic September
through to the simple but effective New Jerusalem.
Producer, mixer, programmer and musician Kevin
Lark has done a superb job in all of his capacities
and the production is both sparing and cacophonous
where it needs to be. What it lacks in major studio
sparkle it more than makes up for in heart, passion
and raw talent. So it appears that between them,
Brett and Matt Leeder look set to usher in a new
era for the young generation of ALOVE singer/
songwriters and bands as they spearhead their
movement’s musical progression. We can only
hope that those they are influencing will progress
with as much musical talent and spiritual insight
and once again reinstate The Salvation Army as
a musical force to be reckoned and reasoned with.
Hope for a New Day Coming can be purchased here:
www.brettriches.co.uk
Catch Brett live at:
27th August 2004, Greenbelt evening session -
Mix venue
30th August 2004, Greenbelt evening session -
Mix venue
25th September 2004, Folkestone Salvation Army
|
