Reviewed by Robin Thompson

My overall perception of this album of 13 self-penned songs is that it falls way short of the standards expected for any album released to the public. Northumberland-based Mike's monotonic vocals are not at all suited to most of what he sings and a lot of the lyrics are clumsy as demonstrated on the rather left field "Sung What I See". He is better suited to the more punk style stuff like Pink Fluffy Cushions but even here I have to question whether the dear brother is, quite bluntly, good enough. The electric guitars don't help either, being very fuzzy with no body or warmth and the drums sound like cardboard boxes. However, worthy of an honourable mention is the acoustic guitar sound which is excellent with a nice, bright but subtle tone. But over and over again any honest critic is left wincing at those poor vocals. Mr Kelcey clearly has something to communicate. But he doesn't have the singing ability to do so. On the whole, a sincere attempt but does not make the grade.

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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