Reviewed by Tony Cummings

Any attentive Cross Rhythms radio listener will already know the piece de resistance of this tremendous album, the attention-grabbing opener “Nobody” which blends its elements, an acoustic guitar strum, a wistful lead vocal and howling, hard guitars, to produce a perfect, radio-friendly concoction. But there are plenty of other gems here. Take the mid tempo plea for God’s transforming touch, “Change My Name”. Lead singer Ryan Smith’s vocal – a little like the Jars’ Dan Haseltine – emits a tremulous poignancy as the angry guitars roar around him, or the jangling teenage romance song “Call Me”. Overall, ‘The Observatory’ (which has been out almost a year incidentally) is a big improvement on Cadet’s self-titled debut and though there are still strong retro beat group elements, hardening up the guitar sound makes a far more cohesive album for today’s youth. Classy pop rock with exceedingly tuneful hooks.

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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