Reviewed by Tony Cummings

Anyone who dedicates his album to his granny clearly shows he is a very different animal than those socio-political polemicists or self-obsessed miserablists who dominate the world of singer/songwrtiers. Maidstone-based Fred's music is warm, gentle and seemingly imbued with the sunshine that has inspired some of the songs here. Most of his compositions are old school romantic crammed with images of he and his loved one drawing their names in the sand and going back to the "little place by the lake," plus of course lots of expressions of devotion to his muse. And the final track is a song about his beloved gran, "More Than I Can Say" ("I want to thank you for always being there for me"), on which rudimentary piano chords make a pleasant change from Fred's acoustic guitar which dominate the 11 other songs. But it's Fred's fiancé who has clearly inspired most of the songs. And there lies a problem. Fred is a Christian and lines like "I search wide and hard and more/But in your grace/I find what I'm looking for" would be fine when addressed to God but sound idolatrous when directed towards a girl. And while we're on the subject of Fred's lyrics, occasionally they lapse into banality ("I want a love like you all around/No girl, I'll never let you down"). So, despite the smooth warmth of Fred's vocals and the uncluttered, understated production; despite the handsome packaging (there's a deluxe package available with the lyrics of his songs printed on the back of postcard-size pics of Fred sat on the beach); despite my admiration that he has kept going as a full time musician for eight years - no mean feat - I cannot in truth recommend 'Eternal Sun'.

The Deluxe package comes with a second album by Fred, 'New Horizons', which he calls "a bonus CD containing 10 B-sides." It features five home studio recordings and five "live" ones, though with no sound of an audience one wonders whether these voice-and-acoustic songs were recorded in Fred's studio as well. The artist's strengths are evident - his warm, rich voice and confident strumming make for a relaxing listen while his melodies are often genuinely haunting and his production clean and economic. Again, it's in his lyrics where the weaknesses show through. "Dance With Me" surely doesn't need the line "we got the whole damn night" while on the God-centred "Long Way" Fred sings, "I found myself on a brand new path and your love can guide the way" which express a gauche naivety but hardly expresses the mysteries and tensions of following the Lord. As I said already, Fred has a rich and vibrant voice able to caress his gentle melodic musings. But he needs better lyrics if his songs aren't to join the myriad of pleasant but forgettable creations countless songsmiths have produced in this era of home studio self-productions.

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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