Rise

Format

• ---

  OVNI003CD  £7.00

Label

Ovni / Turnstile

Gruff Rhys

Hotel Shampoo

Time will remember Gruff Rhys well. For over 15 years with SFA, collaborations and solo projects, he's kept his head down, trundled off every now and then and shuffled home with a bagful of ideas that consistently produce wonderful songs. This time he's made a solo album that's as close to SFA as he's ventured so far, but that's certainly not a bad thing. With one of the most recognisable voices in modern music, he's a sharp lyricist who sticks his voice where others make do with an instrument. Rolling in with the current single Shark Ridden Waters sublime melodies follow, with the horn stabs of Sensations In The Dark capable of entertaining you if they were on a 10 minute loop. As the tempo slows the sparse string arrangements and brushed drums outline a more delicate affair overall. From the gentle trumpet intro and climbing strings of Take A Sentence to the subtle duet on Space Dust telling of a simple brief encounter, there are no production bolt-ons here, just authentic touches throughout, until the lyrically sweet At The Heart Of Love becomes a little too reminiscent of CSN&Ys Our House. At times, you wish the songs would develop a little further but there are still more ideas here than many a band could shake a Welsh love spoon at. For long termers and newcomers to the man, this is the sound of Gruff doing what he does best, and long may he continue.
Tim Wrathall

Tracklist

• 1 — Shark Ridden Waters
• 2 — Honey All Over
• 3 — Sensations in the Dark
• 4 — Vitamin K
• 5 — Take a Sentence
• 6 — Conservation Conversation
• 7 — Sophie Softly
• 8 — Christopher Columbus
• 9 — Space Dust #2
• 10 — At the Heart of Love
• 11 — Patterns of Power
• 12 — If We Were Words (We Would Rhyme)
• 13 — Rubble Rubble