Q - What do you get if you cross a Welshman with an American horn section?
A - Heart On Fire
Ok, it's not a great joke, but it happens to be the truth.
Christopher Rees is the man from the valleys in question and The South Austin Horns are his band for this album.
This somewhat unlikely cultural exchange came about after Rees played the SXSW festival in 2010 and met Mark Wilson, the leader of the horns band.
The two bonded over a shared love of Stax recordings.
The resultant project provides a golden opportunity for Rees to make use of a batch of soul tunes written under the influence of writers like Dan Penn and Spooner Oldham.
Prior to this collaboration he had released four solo albums with more of an Americana slant.
|
Highlights are slow burning ballads like the title track and Morning Light, and the melancholy Unstoppable (with some nice Hammond organ).
It is an affectionate homage to Southern Soul but far too lightweight for my taste.
Rees' voice is sweet rather than soulful and doesn't really have the muscle to give substance to songs which, to be true to the genre, should drip with emotion.
Instead, it is just a well produced, well played collection of easy listening with the potential to be so much more.
Christopher Rees' Homepage
|
