Big Strides - Super Custom Limited (Album)

Tall Order Records

November 4, 2008, 05:44 PM

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Who needs a bass player when you can have a double bass player, surely that amounts to double the bass(ness) doesn't it? Well it's an interesting proposition but when you hear Big Strides it's really a case of that's just the way they need to sound, the southern fried soul of the album is almost propelled by the throng of the Chris Kelly's double bass in conjunction with Marcus O'Neill's blues dripping guitar licks that intersperse the tracks here.

Take Lead track 'No Lower Case Kisses' this is the a-typical sound that you are gonna find on this album, though a bluesy song about texting is well... different. 'Your Supposed Eyes' continues the vibe but has more of a jazz lick to it till the chorus where the guitars again dive in to pull it out of the jazz sinkhole.

'Nothing' comes on like a laidback, tweed wearing Hard-Fi (yes just try picturing that) and gives way to the up-temp 'The Pretty One' kind of a Madness-lite stomp with a lovely little description of some-form of modern lady 'lipstick/gold chain/nicorette/butane'. Harmonica ushers in 'Hen Night Limousine' which is identical to any Little Barrie track i've heard.

'12 Easy Payments' is a bit of a lounge lizard which i'm not particularly keen on but it is saved by the follow-up which has some great lyrics and a great title 'Melt Like A Mars Bar', now just becuase i'm Scottish doesn't mean i'm a coinneseur of battered confectionary so ditch that idea right now! You can't fail to like 'one thought of you and i/melt like a mars bar in a deep fat fryer' classy line.

Coming to the albums end is dissappointing as the songs all become a little one dimensional 'I Love' and 'Vanessa' are very much of the same cloth as is 'Soul Swap' which only redeems itself by at least uplifting in the chorus. And finally is the ridiculously titled 'Fat Duck Sugar Daddy' where again i'm compelled to make references to Little Barrie as it's just so similar in my ears.

Marcus O'Neill does have quite a modern twist lyrically especially when setting them to the sort of soul/blues/jazz/funk on show here. It's a pity that the album could just be one long track itself as everything does sound quite similar there is little room for invention here. There is a redeeming factor here and that's bongos, i'm a sucker for bongos.

http://www.myspace.com/bigstrides

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