Pete Greenwood: Sirens

Elly Roberts reviews

Pete Greenwood: Sirens
Distributed by
Heavenly RecordsCover

  • Released: August 2008
  • Rating: 6/10
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Swinging from British folk and Americana, Pete Greenwood’s 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 hasn’t 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 he’s 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 Simon’s 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 he’s 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 album’s 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

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