A Couple of CD reviews.

There's been a bit of a backlog of things to review at SisterBlueBird HQ lately. As International Pop Overthrow Liverpool starts next week here's a couple of brief reviews of discs from participants in the festival.

Norman Kelsey - On The Rebound
The former Rush Hour Soul front man moves from tunes that make you boogie to slow, soulful seductive numbers with ease on this release. It's nice and easy to listen to, but you wouldn't file it under easy listening. It reminds me a lot of 70s soul offerings. The songs feel comfortable and familiar quite quickly and it's almost impossible not to tap your foot or nod along to tracks like So Sophisticated or Huckleberry Finn. If comparisons have to be made I would plump for a mixture of the essences of Prince and Smokey Robinson with the commercial air of The Stylistics.
Special mention must be made of the track "Supermodels With Gatling Guns" A title with a lot of promise that doesn't disappoint!

Norman Kelsey is appearing at the IPO Liverpool event on Thursday May 16th at 5.45 in The Cavern Pub, and on Friday May 17th at 5pm on the back stage at the Cavern Club (get there early for that one and check out Honeybug as well who are on before him!)

Official Website

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Ashbury Keys - Wake Up

This five track disc offer edgy guitar driven power pop full of hooks that will worm their way into your brain so days later the riffs will be running through your head at random moments. Each track is a lesson in well constructed tunes. The stand out track for me is Oh My God with it's slightly more punky tone. 

The Ashbury Keys are playing IPO Liverpool on Tuesday May 14th at 7.30pm on the back stage at the Cavern Club and on Wednesday May 15th at 9.30pm at the Cavern Pub.

Official Site 

More International Pop Overthrow Liverpool teasers and goodies later!