Rating: 7/10
Label: Solar Flare 2011
Review by Alan Holloway
The UK rock scene becomes a little more interesting this week, with the release of this, the debut album from Birmingham’s Daylight Robbery. It’s been a long time in the making, as the band were together in the 90’s but never actually recorded anything. This album throws together some of those songs and some brand new compositions, with the result being uneven at times but always interesting.
Now I don’t know what the balance is between old and new songs, but the first six tracks on the album are very solid melodic rock tunes, held together by a good blend of guitar, keyboards and some powerful vocals by Tony Nicholls. “Cross Your Heart” opens the album with purpose, and is a treat for fans of Shy, Magnum and Terra Nova, with a good, simple backing riff overlaid with keyboards and a nifty solo. Nicholls has a nice, strong voice that can reach some high points when needed, and the whole impression is of a band who know exactly what they’re doing. This carries on for the first six songs, which include an ambitious slower track “Crossing The Great Divide” which rolls in at 8 minutes and works pretty well. Track 6, “Real Love Is The Answer”, is a really cool melodic track with a catchy chorus that uses a similar structure to Madonna’s “Respect Yourself”, and one I keep coming back to.
The last four tracks seem more dated, possibly because they lack some of the subtlety of the rest of the album. They are faster and heavier, and tome sound more like a band still looking for an identity. As I said, I don’t know if these are earlier compositions, but the tone of the album definitely changes in the final third. It’s still pretty good melodic rock, but with less of the spit and polish of the first 6 tracks. Overall, however, this is a very good debut that’s been along time coming, and it gives Daylight Robbery a very solid platform to build on.
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