RGG February 2015 - p.14
Album:
Back to the start
Buy@:
iTunes & Amazon
Web:
www rebeccadownes com
Verdict:
Blues bands out there may get the blues themselves when coming
to terms with the fact that Rebecca Downes isn’t the vocalist in their band. If
you want to hear incredible singing then just listen to the opening track “Messed
up” from the “Back To The Start” album by Rebecca Downes. This is how you
sing the blues and demonstrate an understanding of soul - what a way to begin
an album! Just terrific. Then I had a pleasant shock with track two “When I’m Bad”
which I think made me think “fuck (excuse my language), these first couple of songs
are too good, can she make this whole album good? Yes, she can….she bloody well can.
Okay, I grew up with the blues and there is a lot of mind numbing crap out there these days
under that banner but Rebecca Downes has one of the best voices in the business and she’s
surrounded by some awesome musicians. I believe this album by Downes was co-written
with Steve Birkett and it seems that this pair have a writing formula to die for. Every track
has such personality. Highlights for me on this album are….the entire album. I have to give
some kind of plug for the song “Basement Of My Heart” which is sexy, guitar friendly and it’s very
commercial and wouldn’t look out of place in a Tarantino movie. If you rate Janis Joplin highly
then you have to buy this album.
REBECCA DOWNES
of
the
album month
NICK
J TOWNSEND
I'm finding that bands and artists from the Midlands music scene are more exciting and
experimental than ever before Some of the Demos EP's and Albums I've been fortunate to hear
are just so exciting Despite London being classed as the hub for the UK music industry; nowadays
its sounding more like a polished rag and bone scrapyard compared to the abundance of supurb
talent emerging from the Midlands The standard of music is high here the songs are infectious
and exhilarating and people are waking up to this fact Many of these bands and artists aren’t
signed to a major record label don’t have any form of management and are having to do
things by themselves because of the now well known ignorance of London based
journalists record labels management and music publications I say ignorance
actually they are well aware of the talent in the Midlands because many of them
copy and steal ideas from bands that originate here on a regular basis; they just
assume you’re thick and don’t notice it
