Richard Lee - Beautiful Car Wreck

Reviewed by Paul Kerslake

This is an independent release from a Hertfordshire-based singer/songwriter that caught my attention as soon as it started. It is the culmination of two years of hard work, originally conceived as an acoustic album. It was completed in 2006, but was then reworked, re-recorded with "an unsuspecting drummer and a brilliant bassist" as well as some other key people. The result is a very well crafted album of 11 personal songs of pain and hope. The title track is a confident and well realised pop song; in contrast "Holding Out" is a great funk/rock track with a nifty little acoustic solo and showcases an impressive vocal range. The style is gentle acoustic rock, not a challenging listen but also it never descends into bedroom muse predictability though it does tail off a bit towards the end, and I can see how if it had been released as an acoustic album it would have quickly lost momentum. Richard has a striking voice and is a talented guitarist, making this an album that I know will grow and grow on me.