Elly Roberts reviews
Christopher Rees:
The Sweetest Ache
Distributed by
Shellshock
- Released: October 2004
- Rating: 6/10
- Cat. No: REDEYE003
Track listing:
1. Rut
2. Kiss Me, Kill Me
3. Curtain Call
4. The Sweetest Ache
5. Swandive
6. Getaway Blues
7. The Things You Do
8. Fire Eye Land
9. Inevitable Truth
10. Lobotomy
As a debut album this rates as very brave and bold. Music maverick Christopher Rees has an acute sense of emotion and drama.
I might at this juncture, that this will not be everyone’s cup of tea, but
it’s definitely worth checking out. Commercially, this probably won’t be a
big success, but Rees will no doubt be applauded by the music press for such
a daring venture.
Melancholic beauty prevails throughout, beginning with the haunting and epic
Rut. There is however, only so much aching one can endure, and it
eventually becomes a tad self – indulgent, as found on the title track.
There are clear influences from Neil Young and others of his ilk, like
Swandive, with clues emanating from the harmonica. Breaking the formula is a
blistering Blues sojourn complete with bottleneck on Getaway Blues as
he bares his soul. The follow-on, The Things You Do, is a deft 21
Century Blues rocker with some outstanding slide guitar by Pete Mathison.
Closing the album, there’s a furious cacophonic blitz with Lobotomy,
(shades of The Doors’ The End) which is a slightly disappointing
conclusion to what is a meticulously produced first offering.
Weblink:
Christopher Rees.co.uk
Review & concert pics copyright © Elly Roberts, 2004-2010.
