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Elly Roberts reviews
Peacefrog Records
- September 2007
- Rating: 2/10
Lightweight guitar musings from shy Swede, Jose Gonzalez.
Veneer (2005) gave him his break, along with the Sony TV ad using Heartbeat.Here the formula continues with the gentle hushed tones of nylon guitar pickingand strumming on his six stringer. Frankly, I thought too much of a fuss was madeof Veneer.
His second album has no progression whatsoever, with most of the tracks simplydull and lacking any kind of expression or dynamics. If endless driftingballads are your bag, or simple background music, some might say muzak, thatdoesnt jump out and slap your face, then this is for you.
After a while it all becomes a bit of a yawn, exacerbated by Gonzalezs monotonousvocal tones, perfectly caught on opener How Low. Skipping to KillingFor Love, things barely break a sweat, though his guitar work becomes marginallymore interesting, though lyrically its inane. Click clocking title trackIn Our Nature again just drifts by without any conviction, which on mostalbums would be considered nothing more than a filler.
If theres an interesting track, ironically its a cover of Massive AttacksTeardrop, though no-one however good they are will match the original.Unfortunately, its the sort of album you cant wait to finish, rendering it themost insignificant album of the year. Totally uninspiring.
Weblinks:jose-gonzalez.com /peacefrog.com
The full list of tracks included are :
1. How To Love
2. Down The Line
3. Killing For Love
4. In Our Nature
5. Teardrop
6. Abram
7. Time To Send Someone Away
8. The Nest
9. Fold
10. Cycling Trivialists
Elly Roberts passed away in 2011, but he was a man who was so passionate about all types of music and loved meeting his musical heroes, such as Mick Hucknall at a book signing at the Trafford Centre, Manchester in 2007.
A former teacher and also a music journalist, DJ and radio presenter on local community station Calon FM, plus appearances on BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru and BBC Radio 2, Elly started doing reviews for DVDfever.co.uk in 2004 and he did the majority of the CD and concerts reviews on the website.
I know also that he loved getting away for the summer to Spain and I hope that wherever he is now he is enjoying the hot sunshine and, as one of his friends has said on his Facebook page, that he is interviewing his musical heroes.