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Elly Roberts reviews

Pete Greenwood: Sirens

Distributed by
Heavenly Records

Released: August 2008

Rating: 6/10

Vote and comment on this album:

Swinging from British folk and Americana, Pete Greenwood’s solo debut is a quiet storm.

Having cut his teeth with the Loose Salute, his former band mates might be pleasantly surprised by this release.

The 27-year-old from Leeds has only been composing for almost two years, so it makes it quite remarkable that he released a mature and considered album.

Writing hasn’t come easy. When his band folded he embarked at Goldsmiths college under the tuition of Pete Astor (Creation Records) where obtained a degree. Way in his past he listened to Bob Dylan and Nick Drake, and those influences are here for all to savour.

Much is this box of delights is pretty lightweight, with the songs seamlessly juxtaposed, and for one so inexperienced he’s done a cracking job. With the exception of Bats Over Barstow, a run-away country shuffle, and Penny Dreadful of a similar ilk and his most commercial, he adopts a fairly relaxed and ambient approach gently strumming away such as the deeply countrified and gorgeous title track dressed by harmonica and sweeping pedal steel.

Dylan, and even Paul Simon’s influences are all over Negotiations… as Greenwood goes into lyrical overdrive also showing some fine acoustic picks, whereas I Used to Be In A Band he opts for the lonesome troubadour lamenting his former band, country rocker Loose Salute.

The mood lifts significantly on the sprightly Any Given Day, and once again he’s happy just plodding along like some tube station busker.

A and B are short gentle instrumentals that seem to serve little purpose other than to prefix the album’s central piece, the upbeat Bats Over Barstow, that leads to the melancholic and wordy ballad For A Girl Like Mine. Penny Dreadful is a delightful lilting and pacey jaunt, completing a fascinating debut.

File under: Grower

Weblinks: petegreenwood.com / myspace.com/petergreenwood

The full list of tracks included are :

1. Sirens 2. Negotiations And Last Words 3. I Used To Be In A Band 4. Any Given Day 5. Wine And Rye 6. A 7. B 8. Bats Over Barstow 9. Heavy Eva 10. The Bitter End 11. For A Girl Like Mine 12. Penny Dreadful

Review & concert pics copyright © Elly Roberts, 2004-2010.

As of April 2009, Blu-rays and DVDs reviewed by the editor are watched on a Panasonic TH-37PX80B 37" Plasma TV with a Sony BDP-1500 Blu-ray player and played through a Yamaha DSP-AX820 amplifier.

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