Reviewed by Tim Goodall

The Wiltshire-based psychedelic singer/songwriter recorded this album after reading about the death of an Italian peace-activist Vittorio Arrigoni, in the Gaza Strip. As such, 'Stay Human' has a clear message on the three songs inspired by the tragedy: Blake wants his listeners to be reminded of their responsibility for others in this world, and not to turn a blind eye to lost souls and desperate situations. "Fire Fire" speaks of viewing the death of many on the other side of the world, with music that is oddly upbeat, drawing the clear contradiction between viewing tragedies on our TVs from the safety of our front rooms without really addressing the problems and tragedies laid out before us. Blake calls us to "stay human and take a stand". Musically, the album loses none of its charm and psychedelic pop-rock by tackling these hard hitting issues, and instead become a vehicle for Blake to convey his compassion and frustration for what he feels is our lost humanity. The album is punctuated by lovely little pop songs like "Tell Me Why", adding to Blake's growing reputation as a gifted songsmith.

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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