SIMON KENT
Dreams & Memories
www.twitter.com/simonkentmusic
Starting off with an insistent acoustic guitar with a middleweight tuneful vocal in reflective mode…I am reminded of the blissed-out album of a few summers ago by Public Symphony with its sitting in the park at dusk on a warm evening vibe. The song is ‘Everything’s Alright’ and this is followed by another mellow summer night number ‘See You Fly’, the vocal more relaxed and it must be said, poetic.
Kent is an English South Coast cat and puts his voice over subtle guitars and gentle keys /electronica on this and several other cuts. Throughout he retains his melodic and tuneful touch so a times it’s as if he’s the young chilled out relative of, say, Travis or Del Amitri – and none the worse for that. Some of the songs are more memorable than others – eg ‘Over the World’ with its hints of The East ( no, not Dover) which needs a (real) string arrangement to release its potential ; the beautiful ‘Inside Your Heart’ where he sings with a soft but assured touch over a gorgeous melody and too-hesitant guitars..now what a terrific duet this would make with a female singer ! A truly fine composition, Mr Kent. The closer ‘Give Me Back That Moment’ is Simon’s Nick Drake moment and the heavier backing falling in is just right, enforcing the song’s tunefulness with a neat guitar tone on the single-note passages.
So far, so listenable and at times exceptional. But what fascinates this scribe is the uncanny and likely unconscious similarity to Duran Duran’s Simon Le Bon in Kent’s phrasing…the closer has this but more so on ‘Spaced Out Refugee’ which could be a superior Duran out-take ! However the song itself is Kent’s of course….intriguing, though …wonder whether he is a Duran fan ?
In summary, a good set of tuneful songs, well-delivered and with good contributions from other participants in particular the on-the-money drumming viz. ‘Over The World’ (James Walker) and its desert drift . a tougher track or two would have balanced the record up a bit. Maybe this is remedied in a live set ? we shall see…..
Pete Sargeant
