Search - Boy :: Boy

A fantastic yet largely ignored effort...

a.c. | London | 05/26/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"it's really a shame that I'll be the first person to review this album - firstly because I'm not exactly good at this kind of thing and secondly because it's evident nobody's been too interested in this recording, and that's sad.singer-songwriter Stephen Noel gets most of the credit for the songs on this album, and with the repertoire of instruments listed to his name, the whole thing seems like a one-man effort - very commendable given the incredible range and use of instrumentation here. listening to the CD reveals a range of song styles diverse enough to keep you intrigued but catchy and familiar enough to keep you actually liking it.the tracks move from dominantly acoustic (Hollywood, Agent Red, Wake Up) to pop (French Diplomacy, Joey) to garage-rocky (Punk Ethic) to melancholy, emotional, and orchestral (Rose-Marie's Cafe, Sea of Alcohol, Appletree, Gentlemen).there's a lot of talent packed into this album, a strong first effort from a singer-songwriter with a lot of future potential... which may unfortunately be hindered by the way this album's been overlooked in the last two years."