Reviews roundup – Justine Balmer vs. Thea & The Wild vs. SBP vs. Rupert Stroud vs. Infected
JUSTINE BALMER
Simple Thing
independent
I’m a sucker for this sort of thing. Classical crossover, pop tunes, bucketloads of strings, and the odd kitchen sink. And that’s exactly what Justine Balmer has offered up on this, her debut CD.
Regular viewers of QVC may recognise her, as she pays the bills by selling garden and household products. When she’s not doing that, she can be found singing on cruise ships across the seven seas. But here she is, with a pledge funded album, which has a lot going for it.
Things kick off with a cracking run at ‘Titanium’, the David Guetta tune, which certainly shows off her soprano vocals to good effect. Then it’s on into a mixture of rejigged pop tunes and classical classics. The best of the former are the almost goth rock of ‘Confide In Me’, the Kylie Minogue tune, and an Italian language version of Aerosmith’s ‘I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing’. Over in the classical world, it’s a confident take on Schubert’s ‘Ave Maria’ that comes out on top.
It’s much more than a vanity project, and will certainly appeal to fans of Sarah Brightman. Certainly those who think that Ms Brightman has gone prog!
THEA & THE WILD
Strangers And Lovers
Jansen Platerproduksj
Pop is a bit boring these days. The exception to the rule seems to be pop which originates from the frozen North. Of course, I speak as someone on the same latitude as Copenhagen and Moscow, so it’s not surprising that it resonates with me.
Thea & The Wild isn’t actually a band as such. No, it’s an album from Thea Glenton Rankes, who certainly knows her way around a good melody and a hook. Although no matter how mainstream things appear, there is always a little twist which spins you round backside foremost. Musically, things are deceptively upbeat, but the words seem to tell a different story.
Cracking tunes abound with the title track, ‘Heartattack’ and ‘Hots For You’ the initial standouts. Definitely a name to watch out for, and a talent that should go a long way.
SBP
Contact Part One
independent
And now it’s time for some Dutch prog. And as we all know, the Dutch do good prog. SBP (short for Summer Breeze Project) have been on he go since 2008, and put out their debut album, “Energy” in 2011. “Contact Part One”, though, is a 3 track EP (clocking in at around 18 minutes), and it’s intended to be part one of a trilogy. Ooh, so prog.
Musically, it’s all mellow, melodic prog, with more than a dose of late period Pink Floyd in amongst the grooves. And that’s a good thing, so fair play to Gert Bruins (lead vocals, guitars), Gordon van Pelt (guitars), Rene Troostheiden (drums, drum programming, percussion), Fons Panneman (keyboards, piano, Hammond, synths, soundscapes, backing vocals) and Jørgen de Jonge (bass, backing vocals).
All three songs are excellent, with ‘Pareidolia’ probably my favourite, thanks to its heavier nature. But that’s just me, and any one of those should be a pleasure to lovers of the prog. Roll on part 2.
RUPERT STROUD
Way Back Home EP
independent
BBC Radio 6 time now, so that means this is one for the Uncut readers out there, who have quite obviously arrived here by accident and couldn’t find a way out. However, this is earnest singer songwriter territory so their trip hasn’t been completely in vain.
Yorkshire fella Mr Stroud has been on Radio 2 as well, which is the only reason I’m paying any attention, and it’s easy to see why he’s getting knowing nods and thumbs aloft. Because he’s a cracking guitarist and a good singer / songwriter. For sure, it’s all mellow and easy, but he knows his way around a tune, and is certainly worth a listen.
‘Morning Light’ is the chosen single, something that makes perfect sense, as it’s a traditional radio friendly song, and all the better for it. The best song, though, is ‘Never Back Down’, which is one of those slowly, slowly, anthemicy tunes that takes you by surprise, and features his best vocal. The other songs are no slouches, and he should be a name we hear more from.
INFECTED
Emergency Gate
Fastball
Aiiiiieee!!! Melodic death metal from Germany. That certainly woke me up a bit. Strange to relate, I had never heard an Infected record before this, even though they’ve been on the go since 1996. Possibly, because they also have a degree of metalcore to their sound, something I’ve never warmed to.
But here they are on album number six, and it’s quite good. When they stick to their main melodic death metal schtick, they make a furious noise, and songs like ‘Sons Of The Second’ and ‘Going Under’ are brutal yet enjoyable. Quite where ‘We Wanna Party’ came from, though, is anyones guess. Biohazard mixed with Andrew W.K. is an interesting concept, but at times it’s almost rap metal [shudders].
Elsewhere, though, they have some great guitars and odd moments of interesting keyboard touches that, sometimes, lifts this well out of the ordinary.
The Rocker - The Artist Formerly Known As Zeitgeist. TAFKAZ 
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