Reviews

Hello! We've been sadly lacking in the review department these last few months...apologies to everyone concerened. It wasn't that we weren't doing it, just problem with the web programme which denied us access to these pages. All is well now though, so if you want your music reviewing, just send us a copy and you'll be featured on these hallowed pages.

Address to send to:

The Buskers Ball

11 Kensington Court

Bolton

Lancs

UK BL1 4AW

 

 

Rating System

=====Essential music, highly recommended!

====Very good, both in terms of content and production!

======Loads of potential, but not quite there yet!

=========Needs a bit of a re-think!

============Needs major overhaul,

Brent Mason...... Stoney Plain (CD Album)

Excellent singer/songwriter from New Brunswick, Canada who came over to the UK last year and played a Buskers Ball session. This is Brent's third album, and it develops his style fully. The music is seamless, with excellent production and a band you'd die to have backing you. Couple this with some really original songwriting and you have an album to remember. If this is the kind of music they're making in Canada, I'm off to book a plane ticket!

Brent has his own website at http://www.vibrate.net/brent so check it out, buy his album and go and see him live...in years to come you'll thank me for it!

Tim Harrison....Bridges (CD Album)

Co-incidentally this is another Canadian artist, this time hailing from Toronto (or thereabouts). I don't know what it is about Canadian artists, but they seem to have found a style of their own which somehow crosses US country music with Celtic influences. This really is a special album from a special performer who should be more well known outside his own country.

As with the Brent Mason album, the production, musicianship and content are faultless making it a highly recommended album by a class singer/songwriter. Tim can be contacted c/o alyssa@compuserve.com

Drive North West...We're Only Ugly When We're Awake (CD Album)

Nice title! This band hail from Warrington , UK and their album contains nine original tracks and a cover of 'When I'm Dead and Gone' (forgotten how good that song was). Very 'studenty' somehow, mix the accessible Zappa with Fairgroud Attraction and you'll have some idea of what I mean, if they can reproduce the sound on stage I bet they're a very good band indeed. If they strike lucky, they'd be worthy of a place on the Joolz Holland show. Worth a look! Contact babz@clara.net

Ned Ludd

An Italian band who contacted me via the Net, and I'm glad they did! Excellent folk/rock in the style (dare I say it) of The Pogues, but if anything even more raucous! When we think of Italian music (certainly in the UK) we tend to think of opera and gondola stuff, but this band are great! Only problem for me was that the lyrics were in Italian, but the sheer power and exuberance of the thing more than made up for it. If they can get on the European Festival circuit, they'll blow the place apart...might even tempt me to go to Italy for a holiday!

Actually, the band have now sent me a copy of their lyrics in English, and a full cd, and I'm happy to report it is everything I expected it to be...very good music and lyrics with strong socialist leanings. If I could award an extra 1/2 a tick I would. If you ever get the opportunity to see them live, then I'd strongly recommend it

check it out at http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Backstage/4424/

Iris....In All Of Us (CD Album)

The first really sunny day in springtime, 'I wanna live' I thought, 'I know I'll do a review....hmmm, out comes this cd, I pick a random track, 'Nail'........a hint of agression in the vocal, I like that, coupled with a seductive tone goes to make this track a hit with me at least. I loved the cover on this cd of an ear coming out of swirls of bright orange which begged the response 'listen to this' Overall this has a subtle punk feel to it, the lyrics very cleverly read like one long zany conversation, incorporating each title of all 10 numbers. If you're into contemporary punk for the year 2000 then listen to this cd! Now were was I ...ah springtime!

Check out their website at http://www.ipass.net/~irisband