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Elly Roberts reviews
Heavenly Records
- Released: August 2008
- Rating: 6/10
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Swinging from British folk and Americana, Pete Greenwoods solo debut is a quiet storm.
Having cut his teeth with the Loose Salute, his former band mates might bepleasantly surprised by this release.
The 27-year-old from Leeds has only been composing for almost two years, soit makes it quite remarkable that he released a mature and considered album.
Writing hasnt come easy. When his band folded he embarked at Goldsmithscollege under the tuition of Pete Astor (Creation Records) where obtained adegree. Way in his past he listened to Bob Dylan and Nick Drake, and thoseinfluences are here for all to savour.
Much is this box of delights is pretty lightweight, with the songs seamlesslyjuxtaposed, and for one so inexperienced hes done a cracking job. With theexception of Bats Over Barstow, a run-away country shuffle, and Penny Dreadfulof a similar ilk and his most commercial, he adopts a fairly relaxed andambient approach gently strumming away such as the deeply countrified andgorgeous title track dressed by harmonica and sweeping pedal steel.
Dylan, and even Paul Simons influences are all over Negotiations asGreenwood goes into lyrical overdrive also showing some fine acoustic picks,whereas I Used to Be In A Band he opts for the lonesome troubadourlamenting his former band, country rocker Loose Salute.
The mood lifts significantly on the sprightly Any Given Day, and onceagain hes happy just plodding along like some tube station busker.
A and B are short gentle instrumentals that seem to serve littlepurpose other than to prefix the albums central piece, the upbeat Bats Over Barstow,that leads to the melancholic and wordy ballad For A Girl Like Mine.Penny Dreadful is a delightful lilting and pacey jaunt, completinga fascinating debut.
File under: Grower
Weblinks:petegreenwood.com /myspace.com/petergreenwood
The full list of tracks included are :
1. Sirens
2. Negotiations And Last Words
3. I Used To Be In A Band
4. Any Given Day
5. Wine And Rye
6. A
7. B
8. Bats Over Barstow
9. Heavy Eva
10. The Bitter End
11. For A Girl Like Mine
12. Penny Dreadful
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.