r
gg
Jan 2018 - p.15
Verdict:
Worcestershire based singer
songwriter Steve Nash releases this eight track
album; the first of two albums scheduled for a
2018 release; the second being
Losing My
Mind -
a commendable charity album aimed at
raising awareness and support for lupus UK
dementia and facial deformities. On
Rad Times
we get a brilliant vocal performance and
excellent musicianship throughout; a tsunami of
technical acoustic funk guitar riffs especially on
Got To Hold Me
and always backed up with a
consistent tight beat but the drummer really
should let loose more.
Falling For You
especially has some amazing groove and I just
love the sudden carefully executed stops. My
only criticism is that many tunes on this album,
for example
Midnight
, cry out for more key
changes or a bridge to give extra lift, but
everyone has a different approach to song
writing and this is clearly how Steve works. As a
singer ,Nash puts his stamp on every song with
his remarkable, passionate and determined
voice. Highlights are
Got To Hold Me
,
Falling
For You
and
Hold On Me
.
Album:
Rad Times
www
steve nash web com
Verdict:
Birmingham based Secrets Of
Mariana return with more female fronted power
which successfully fuses metal-core with
alternative rock and for those confused by that
sentence then imagine a male fronted band but
with a woman fronting it instead; glad we got that
out the way thicko's. Yes, this EP is metal-core
friendly indeed but there's a real blend of rock
influences that dominate throughout and this is
mainly evident in the crushing opener
Calling
You Out
followed by
No Escape
- which has in-
credible drums - and closer
Eat Me Alive
which
also reminds me of a lot of recent Machine Head
material. However, there's also a lot of room
made for experimentation and commerciality as
the delicate yet hard hitting number
Empty
(Jane's Song)
demonstrates, plus there's the
epic
Queen Of Hearts VS The Joke
r which to
me has a real Incubus feel in places and finally
there's the two minute instrumental
Beneath
The Waves
which seemed short but hey, less is
more eh? Overall a very strong release.
STEVE NASH
SECRETS OF MARIANA
EP:
No Escape
www
facebook com/SecretsOfMariana
r
gg
21
YEARS
1995-2016
