Reviewed by Nigel Harris

Let's just deal with the name first. The band say that Brother Down "encapsulates an amalgam of meanings" but point in particular to Genesis where a harsh Egyptian ruler demands that the "spies", Israel's sons, bring their brother down to Egypt to prove their authenticity. Got that? The band itself, "an ensemble of eclectic artisans" from Santa Cruz, California, play what they call progressive folk rock. Over the basic vocals/guitar/drums core they weave a variety of textures using violin, viola, cello, double bass, electric guitars and percussion, laying some exquisite vocal harmonies on top of the mix. On the surface, the lyrics on "To The Black Land" (a reference to Egypt's dark, fertile Nile soil) appear at times quite dark and foreboding, but in fact each song carries a powerful message of hope, peace and joy, of redemption rising out of the darkest moments in our lives. This is not meant to be easy listening, but at times I wondered if the band could have made it just a little more accessible. However, it's an undeniably well crafted debut album.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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