Reviewed by Mike Rimmer

Hmmmmm. Now here's some thing a little left field. Pete Ryder, much beloved on the Greenbelt fringe, works in a roosty, folksy idiom; writing songs that move from tongue-in-cheek observations to simple comedic tales that wouldn't have been out of place as the musical items on BBC entertainment 20 years ago. Sort of a Christian Richard Stilgoe or Jake Thackeray. Proof? Check out "Cats (Not Withstanding!)" It is a fun description of cat infestation at home, and "Spoonful Of Curry" takes the Willie Dixon classic (remember Cream's version?) and, ahem, updates it! Instead of those Clapton guitar licks, Pete plays that famous rock riff on a sitar and sings his Pork Vindaloo recipe! Clearly blessed with a very special sense of humour but the laughs are simply the sugar that helps makes the medicine go down and Pete has some hard hitting things to say. Highlights include "Earth Mother" and "Power Of The Stones", throwing some light on the flimsy pretentions of the New Age whilst "To Die For The Freedom Of Ireland" is a self-explanatory exploration of the Irish question. Black comedy abounds here because underneath the foolishness, there are plenty of pointed questions that provoke responses.

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