Search - Lucky Luke :: Patrick the Survivor

Scots folk-rock ensemble's debut

John L Murphy | Los Angeles | 09/22/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Not as Velvet-edgy as the reviews I've read in the British press trumpet, but more a mix of the Fairport/Steeleye wall of studio assembled folk-rock sound meets a more swirling, immediately "live" ambiance of a performance in a village hall.



The female lead vocalist lacks the pristine quality of Sandy Denny, and this brings her delivery closer to earthiness. But she lacks also the expressive range of Maddy Prior, and this prevents her from projecting forcefully enough over the band. Male vocals play second fiddle, although they do mix more on one track. The band has so many instruments at times playing that individual sounds tend to muddle; better production and a bigger budget might help for later albums, it is to be hoped.



This is a short album, the first of the nine tracks barely there, but the time the band takes to let its generally expansive songs unfold works satisfactorily. The instrumentals need to be more haunting, the sax could be jettisoned, and the mix could promote a fatter bottom for the sound and a stronger presence for the singers. Still, a promising example from this Scots ensemble for what should be a welcome new arrival on the electric folk-rock scene, which followers of its earlier incarnations should seek out."