Ever since I was a kid I have been fascinated by and held a
deep admiration for people who thought outside of the box. People who lived
life on their own terms, didn’t follow trends and did what they wanted to do.
Like everyone they had their own set of beliefs and principles but the
difference was they would stick to their beliefs and principles and beliefs
regardless. It didn’t matter that sometimes people would disagree and cause
conflict, what mattered was that they went to bat for what they believed was
right. They were going to be themselves even if that meant going totally
against the grain.
As a result I have always felt drawn to sports stars like
Muhammad Ali, Aryton Senna and Roy Keane. Straight away musically I was pulled
towards people like Johnny Cash, Jimi Hendrix and Tupac; life was on their
terms and nobody else’s.
Right now many of you will be wondering what this has to do
with anything but trust me there’s a method to my self-indulgence. In the music
industry, especially where the mainstream is concerned there are numerous
trends and even more artists trying to follow them, and to me that’s really
sad. But thankfully not all bands are like this and some go their own way and
do their own thing and I’ve found one of these bands and they go by the name of
The Delta Rhythm.
The Delta Rhythm are made up of Sami Cornick (Lead vocals)
Gregg Freeman (Rhythm & Lead guitar) Ben Adams (Bass) and Martyn Todd
(Drums) They describe themselves as ‘a cross-breed of Blues, Indie and Prog
Rock’ and say that they are ‘focussed on bringing a mixture of heart churning
Blues, head banging rock, foot-tapping indie and soul diving prog to the
world.’ I can assure you ladies and gentlemen that the band are all of these
things and more.
Break The Surface Kicks
off with California rock inspired ‘Ticking Bomb.’ As is the case with the rest
of the EP there also elements of blues as well as country as things get
underway in catchy up tempo fashion. As well as having a great voice Cornick
has a way of delivering the verses which falls somewhere between singing and
just speaking which gives the track added character.
‘Singing The Blues’ is another brilliantly upbeat track. With
its fusion of blues, country and rockabilly the track is like a throwback to a
bygone era. The central guitar riff and drum beat are simple yet effective and
push the track forward into a more raucous chorus. Following some nice guitar
work the second verse opens with a bit of an effect on the vocal which helps
put a modern twist on what is a great old style track.
The final track on the EP is a sultry ode to Sunday mornings
and lazy weekends called ‘Better Things.’ Here the tempo drops right down as
the track describes what to me sounds like a pretty ideal idle weekend. The introduction
of a piano in an instrumental section is a great addition and is quite a nice
surprise. This is my favourite track and it rounds the whole record off as a
whole really well. You could have had
the worst day imaginable but put press play on this song and you’ll drift away
to friendlier, happier times safe in the knowledge that everything is going to
be alright.
I opened this review talking about my admiration for people
who stick to their guns and don’t follow trends and to me this seems to
describe The Delta Rhythm. New bands coming out just don’t sound like this,
they are different to 99% of the stuff out right now and it’s brilliant. The
production is flawless, the guitar work is great, the rhythm section is on
point and I challenge you not to fall in love with Sami Cornick’s voice.
We are constantly regaled with stories about songs and bands
gone by and how ‘They don’t make them like this anymore’ well all those people
are wrong, because they do, and I’ve found the proof, Birmingham’s own The
Delta Rhythm.
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