Our esteemed webmaster came over all mission impossible on me with this one, I returned home from work to find a CD with a post-it note attached it read....your mission, should you wish to accept it, is to review this CD whilst we take your wife hostage to a secret location* where she will be securely held until the review is completed to our satisfaction....this message will self destruct in 10 seconds.

So on with the review or the safe return of Mrs Lewins could well be in jeopardy!! Despite the fact this is Winterville's debut album the respective band members have already paid their dues in wildly diverse musical apprenticeships, between them they cover blues, death metal and English folk in their collective pasts - certainly an eclectic grounding by any standards.

The first thing that strikes me about this album is Peter Shoulders voice, he sounds like a dead ringer for Chris Cornell, I'm not sure if he'll thank me for it but it is meant as a compliment! Not Soundgarden Chris Cornell but solo Chris Cornell circa "Euphoria Morning". Anyone familiar with that record will know how much warmth and power Cornell brought to the music, something that had previously been mainly masked by his more full on vocals with Soundgarden, although this greater range had been hinted at on his solo contribution to the "Singles" soundtrack and the Temple Of The Dog record.

The vocal similarities aside, a lot of this album would sit well beside the aforementioned "Euphoria Morning" as it shares that records slightly grunge influenced take on blues-rock. That's not to dismiss Winterville as mere copyists however, fuelled by the drive of Shoulders' guitar and vocals, he originally formed the band after deciding that his more straight-ahead blues-rock sound was too constrictive, the whole album is quite a breath of fresh air.
 
Everything on this album fits together nicely and feels naturally right, there's no overplaying, no feeling of a forced direction, the whole band seems to groove together seamlessly, something, I'm assured by our webmaster, that the band pull off live also. Whether its the stripped acoustic blues of "Mr 3 Percent" or the more up tempo rock of "Mock Halo" or "My Angels" they consistently deliver just what the song requires, truly excellent stuff. When you add to this songs such as "Nobody" which shifts between a heavier riff for the verses and a sparser chorus with some fantastic soloing, all completely appropriate, not gratuitous at all, this band really do seem to have all the bases covered.

This is definitely a contender for my album of the year and its rare that I can conclude a review without thinking of something that requires attention or improvement but this is exactly that elusive kind of review, recommended.


*They'd actually all swanned off to the Quireboys gig in Sheffield leaving me to babysit! check elsewhere on these pages for a review of the gig.

Let us know your views on 'Everything In Moderation'

Track List

Breathe
My Angels
Last Legs
Mock Halo
Mr 3 Percent
Nobody
Shotgun
Idle Hands
Under My Skin
Nothing
Penny For The Fool
Someday Soon

Line Up

Peter Shoulder - Guitars/ Vocals
Joss Clapp-Bass/Mandolin/Vocals
Mario Goossens - Drums