26-12-2009Album reviews - Alberta Cross

Astonishing debut effort

Is this actually a debut album? It is a question I find myself asking as I work my way through Alberta Cross' 'Broken Side Of Time' Having never heard the band before just armed with the knowledge of a press kit to give me some knowledge the band make an instant impression.

Each song appears well though both individually and collectively as an entity within the album. 'Song Three Blues' is an eloquent and subtle teaser lulling you into the soulful crooning of Stakee's lead vocals. The sound has an alternative country folk feel but still sounds as relevant as any modern indie or electro or whatever NME will have you believe is the flavour of the week. Except this is real music by real musicians, well constructed thought out and above all powerful in its delivery songs like 'Old Man Chicago' and 'The Thief and The Heartbreaker' speak a thousand words of awe themselves.

They have more rocky moment with 'City Walls' standing out and even acoustic subtleties like 'Ghost Of The City Life' which that focus all instruments in an introspective fashion and provide the spotlight for the vocals to shine under. Well worth a listen and quite possibly the best new find you may come across over the next few months. A very warming and satisfying listen.