Brooke, Steve - Down To Earth


Year of Release: 1998
Label: Bee And Bee Records
Catalog Number: n/a
Format: CD
Total Time: 00:00:00

On Down To Earth, Dutch singer/songwriter Steve Brooke manages to deliver eight compositions, employing some vocal capers in order to make them interesting. Purists in the domain of progressive rock will therefore not even touch this album wearing a velvet glove, yet those of you who can still appreciate Alan Parsons as being "better pop" can certainly use the same label here. Opening track "City" contains some Eastern sounding guitar riffs, and even if the female backing vocals sound as if they were the outtakes of a Britney Spears recording, it's exactly the synergy between the male and female vocals which delivers the extra "flavour." The song in question could have been more compact and more rough yet who are we to doubt the artistic ego of Mister Brooke? "World" is light, funky, poppy with a little bit of reggae, although we have to wait for a song like "Waste" where a rough sounding guitar lifts this song to higher ground. It's once again the harmony vocals in "Miracle" that makes us think of the legendary Byrds, although the strong chorus is really begging for horns here. The somewhat hidden "southern" element moves up front via a playful organ in "Deep," making it sound like Crowded House meets For Absent Friends. Highlight certainly is the Kayak-like "America" which shines though simplicity. Brooke delivers music like Baby Grand and Ambrosia used to make them: quality music on every level but too damn good for the dumb radio stations. Brooke is part of the new wave of singer-songwriters using Christian themes. God almighty!


Tracklisting:
City (Down To Earth) / World / Waste / Miracle / Deep / Live With You / Cover Me / America

Musicians:
Steve Brooke - vocals, acoustic guitars, drums, keyboards
Erik Vander Clies - bass, electric guitar
Timo Beckman - electric guitar
Jenny Brooke - backing vocals
Barbara - backing vocals

Discography:
Down To Earth (1998)

Genre: Rock

Origin NL

Added: March 1st 2000
Reviewer: John "Bobo" Bollenberg

Artist website:
Hits: 2442
Language: english

  

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