King's Road

Item: Where Angels Walk
Author: Roger Appelinski

Where Angels Walk

(1994)

Reviewed by Roger Appelinski

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Label Broken RecordsThe LighthouseApril 1994

ccm heartland rock pop rock

Where Angels Walk is the debut from Kings Road. The band was formed in 1992 by Marc Intravaia (guitar) and Eve Marie Selis (vocals). Joining them are drummer Bob Sale, bassist John Khula, and keyboardist Mike Peters.

When I first lent this disc to a friend, the response was "It sounds like early Geoff Moore and the Distance with vocals by Margaret Becker." I think the second part is much more accurate than the first. There are spots, particularly in the slower songs, where Eve sounds uncannily like Becker.

Musically, I would say an analogy to the early rock sound of the Distance might be a starting point-in the lighter rock without so much pop, but there are some other observable influences. Most noticeable is the heavy use of the dobro and mandolin which almost give a folk (and sometimes even country) vibe in spots, sometimes even reminiscent of parts of Mark Heard's work.

Lyrically, it jumps around, from bold statements of faith such as "Nothing Without You" to more subtle ones in "Brave New World." There are dark stories of problems and divorce such as "Love Won't Win" and lighter moments of joy in "Into the Sun," a folk rock anthem that closes the project on a positive note. Overall, the lyrics are engaging and thought-provoking. Even after several passes, some still make me wonder if I really know what the song is saying. In some respects I would offer comparisons to Out of the Grey and Charlie Peacock as good examples of similar "thinking" lyrics.

I'm looking forward to more from Kings Road.