Reviewed by Paul S Ganney

This is the debut album from a British-pop soul band who we've heard are believers though there's nothing on this set to indicate that is so. Kicking off with a bass line that sounds like it came straight from "You Can't Hurry Love" this CD gets off to a cracking start with "Nobody Loves You". It's very much classic Motown/early soul in style (R&B is the closest I could get from CR's genre list). Vocally The Franks are very good, sharing lead duties around and the harmonies plus backing are superb (check out "Take A Long Look" for a great example). The brass work (from the Blackjacks Horns) is classic and the guitar nicely understated. I loved the bass rhythms, like on "Lies" and the cover of "The Night". Their rock and roll medley "Jenny Takes A Ride" was fun, but not as polished as the earlier stuff. Overall they're much better at the Motown/Soul styled material with which they really do hold their own and they would be an enjoyable band on a summer festival stage.

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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