Reviewed by Nigel Harris

This is Seaton, Devon-based Pete Brazier's latest solo release, a 'Work In Progress' that eventually got finished! Pete has been a member of various bands since 1986 - Purple Emperor/Vision, the intriguingly titled Influential Love Bunnies and The Teatime Experience to name but a few, but most of his albums have been solo releases. Solo, but not just singer and acoustic guitar. Pete is a versatile keyboard player and clearly has some considerable studio skills as he weaves together multiple layers of vocals with electronic drums, keyboards and guitars. 'Work In Progress' is a collection of songs which he says "have been floating around so long I thought they'd never find their way out of the studio." There's a bit of a Beatles vibe to the opening "Shooting Stars". "Encircle Me" tries (maybe a little too hard?) to do a bit of a dance thing with keyboard and vocal loops. The intricate instrumental "New Town" was originally a composition used as the background music to the website for The Big Fish Café, a youth event organized by Seaton Methodist Church in which Pete plays a big part. I particularly enjoyed "This Tiny Place", which has Pete in Crowded House (perhaps Jethro Tull would be a closer comparison, Pete's vocals are very reminiscent of Ian Anderson) folk/rock mode - complete with some nice vocal harmonies from Pete himself! It would be easy to criticise the production quality of this album, certainly the vocals could be better, but they are usually the weak part of any low budget recording. However, the quality of the songwriting and Pete's creativity shine though.

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