Call Upon The Author

I’ve got my bottle of red, its raining outside and me and the missus are all set for a night of music and alcohol. We’d already sussed that Richard Walters The Animal would be the album to fit the mood of the evening and in all honesty we were both excited at the thought of discovering something new and wonderful. The opening track ‘Brittle Bones’ sets us up for the fall, all the right sounds, lazy vocals, delicate acoustic guitar and underlying angsty atmospherics, this was looking to be a good choice. Next up ‘The Weather Song’ more of the same broken winged vocals which for some reason I try to find a comparison but I think to be fair Richard Walters’ voice has just enough to it to be considered individual.
By track three the weather outside had started to develop into quite a storm, in contrast ‘All at Sea’ meanders through at much the same tempo and ambiance as the previous tracks. Halfway through the album and a little niggling voice in the back of my head starts getting louder, “Where is this album going?” it asks and “This sounds the same as all the other stuff on here!” damn you little niggling voice!
By the end of the album I am left feeling a little anesthetised and ultimately disappointed. A real shame as there is definitely a talent there that is waiting to surface. Ever the optimist I will hold my faith that Richard Walters has the ability to write something great and will watch his progress with interest.
I have pondered for some time as to what animal the album title alludes to and have come to a conclusion; it’s that of a Porpoise, sleek and impressive at first but ultimately a poor man’s dolphin.