Reviewed by Helen Whitall

'Fly To The Black Swan' is the fourth album from the Wiltshire rock musician John E (Wright). Produced by Pete Lamb, it is a little rough around the edges, but overall very well made and a good listen. The songs are varied and eclectic with a real sense of fun coming through, the musicianship accomplished, and the vocals very natural and crisp. The album opens with the melodic "3 Score And 10", featuring acoustic guitar, harmonica, drums and tambourine. It is an upbeat and catchy piece despite considering the shortness of life, that no matter how much fame and success we have we all die, and that it is better to live generously and love. "Little Nell" is a jaunty, happy song, reminiscent of '90s Britpop, and the feel-good vibe continues into "Summer Days". This one is unfortunately a bit repetitive, but it is basically just a sunshine-loving jam. "The Black Swan" feels like a classic roadtrip song, the sound and lyrics evoking a life on tour. The outro exudes cool, with the vocals effortlessly shifting octave and the electric guitar soloing, but the actual finish comes rather abruptly. "Cracked Guitar" opens with a poorly-recorded guitar, but it becomes clear that this is deliberate; the rest of this quirky track sounds great, and it tells the story of all the knocks and damage the guitar has taken in its life. It rather over-explicitly draws the metaphor, asking "Is it a bit like your life?". Like the low-fi guitar at the start of the track, although the lyrical scanning is extremely clunky, this just adds to the amusing effect of the song and actually works here. The crazy riff makes you want to shimmy! The album ends with the bonus track "Hidden In His Shadow", which is a slow and mellow piece; atmospheric and given character through the use of a little tasty discord, it is dominated by the bass guitar, which at one point even gives us a solo. Overall 'Fly To The Black Swan' sounds a little unprofessionally produced, and the lyrics frequently scan badly, but the album is still a lot of fun.

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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