Anyone remember Hothouse Flowers? Well, this EP reminds me of the early 90s band. This British band is trying hard to sound like a gentle folk rock band and they have a heavy country & western feel that perhaps may not sound out of place at the infamous Grand Ole Opry. The vocals are thin and whispery and somewhat annoying at times as though the lead singer is trying to fake a 40 a day smoking habit to make him sounds softly husky, like a cowboy next to a roaring fire with his guitar singing to the stars. It sounds like the lead singer is the product of Rod Stewart, Garth Brooks and Bryan Adams combined. This is not a compliment but it is also not to say that the vocals are hellish either and at least this has a unique sound in an ever increasing world of tv pop.
The publicity material suggests that lead singer Tom’s vocals are soulful and have hit a high point and are influenced by a love of British Music such as The Who and The Rolling Stones. It left me to wonder if the wrong publicity material had been included with the EP.
The EP includes 3 tracks,
Hope & Pray, Something, The Garden and
Help Me Make It. If this was played on a country station in the US I can quite believe it would become popular very quickly. The music is Indie sounding with country vocals blended over the top. These are ballads which lull and roll with a sensibility that doffs it’s cowboy hat to the world of country and western. Think the New Radicals, but in Britain.
This is an EP that is full of emotional lyrics, soulful tunes and Indie beats. Your dad will love this but will you?
The EP is out now and all 4 tracks can be heard on the band's MySpace page at
www.myspace.com/vantramp With over 12000 friends they must be doing something right.
