Over ten years since his first solo release, Paul Poulton's latest album sees him joining with Chris Smith (keyboard and programming) and Nick Burrows (percussion) to purvey a brand of blues-laden pop-rock, reminiscent in a way of Larry Norman's mid-period work, but sadly not its equal.
The band work up some fairly infectious rhythms through the first few tracks, but before long the programmed beats become a little anaemic and the album suffers from the lack of a live percussionist. The vocals too become a little tired after a while, there's some emotion there but the delivery is all too similar, especially since the lyrics can be a little cheesy and require concentration to follow given their strong narrative approach.
There are some decent vibes built up in places, but in general this recording lacks the energy it needs. More concise lyrics and live percussion would be a good start.
