Falsetto heights are hit from a standing start, and it’s clear that JACK PENATE’S vocal strengths are the mainstay of this Top 40 contender. Jangling guitars play ska-jazz, and the shift in tempo-oo-whooo-ahh-o-ohhh makes for catchy listening, with a little bit of a twist.
You see, it’s not some mystery lover that he’s missing, but his dear old Smokey. Whilst this might not be the first celebration of dear old Lahh-n-dahn town that you’ve ever heard, or indeed, the first anguish-filled train station dilemma, it’s nonetheless as radio friendly as the Jo Whiley show, the likes of where it will doubtless be a turntable regular over the coming weeks.
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As the easy-to-like record progresses, we hear the stick-tapping bossa-nova kick into hammered 4-beats that split the lead vocal into tiny syllables. The bass dances and the reverb-heavy pub-room guitars mark time and rhyme alike. You never notice that it’s a four-minute song though, as the whole thing blurs past in an instant, making it perfect for commercial radio, and the short attention spans at which it aims its filtered view of the world.
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