Search - Oyster Band :: Deep Dark Ocean

The word "mellow" even comes to mind

08/07/1998

(4 out of 5 stars)

"These "Oysters" have always been on the raw side - an English band playing folkish rock with an urban, punk-influenced edge. "Deep Dark Ocean" therefore comes as something of a surprise. The word "mellow" even comes to mind, as the band winds back the roughness and comes out with some more accessible, melodic material. It's not that they've gone soft - there's still plenty of anger in their lyrics, and the bass, drums and guitar still growl and rumble as before. But the fiddle, melodeon and an occasional bit of cello rise to the surface on tracks like "Native Son", and the positively sunny "Sail On By". There's even a gospel/country feel to "Not Like Jordan", though the effect is probably for irony as much as anything. Other songs either have nautical themes or a shanty jaunt to them, giving a salty tang to the whole album. At times it even had me reminiscing about middle-era Steeleye Span. Of course John! Jones' voice is a mile from Maddy Prior's. And the Oysters maintain that determined north English toughness. But when in "No Reason to Cry" they sing "we make a mess of tenderness", why am I not totally convinced?Peter Grant co-presents "Mostly Folk" on 7THE FM in Hobart, Tasmania"