Ever wondered what happens to all those singer songwriters that you used to find at any midweek acoustic night in any big city bar? They can’t all get eaten by tigers. They can’t all give up their dreams and settle for qualifying as accountants. Or becoming geography teachers, for that matter. Maybe some of them make the jump to the next rung of the ladder like Murdo Mitchell has done with his EP “Cheap Hotels”.
Lyrical literacy is clearly something of a trademark for Murdo Mitchell given the evidence presented in these four songs and, at times, the casual listener might even regard them as protest songs borne of this time and place for, whilst always remaining resolutely radio friendly, Murdo Mitchell also proves himself more than capable of simultaneously injecting a serious note or ten into his lyrics on the journey to the singalong, festival friendly, chorus.
Could these therefore be the intelligent pop songs that we all have been looking for? Quite possibly for these four songs demonstrate that there is more to Murdo Mitchell than the introspection so beloved of the average singer songwriter and the polish that has been applied to “Cheap Hotels” hasn’t dulled the impact of his pointed words.