Andy White has had a good few albums out prior to this one but I have to admit that this is the first one that I have heard. Accordingly, I have to take the word of the press release that this album represents a new direction for this Belfast singer-songwriter
What do we have here then? A remarkably mellow album full of mature, well constructed songs is what. Mr White knows a melody when he sees one - or perhaps more accurately how to write one – and litters the albums with tunes that you can hum. To pick but two examples, “I Believe” would bring great joy to the taxi drivers of the world as they ply their trade on the night shift and “Turn Up The Temperature On The Machine Of Love” would be the prefect accompaniment to a drive down some Pacific coast highway. Like the craftsman that he is, Mr White neatly swaps styles at will with the trip into gospel territory (“When You Gonna Come”) being especially welcome.
The problem with this album is that Mr White is clearly a songwriter and not a singer. His vocal abilities are limited and he muddles through the rather fine songs bringing little, if anything at all, to them. Given the subtle musical pleasures brought to the party by everyone else (especially Allison Russell from Po’ Girl), that is indeed a shame.