Andy Fleet
Album: Takin' Aim
Label: Low Vinyl
Tracks: 10
Website: http://www.andyfleet.com

It's been four years since Andy Fleet released his debut cut, "The Night Falls Fast", but he's not exactly been slacking in the intervening years. As well as working and gigging in other peoples bands, he set about refining his sound and recruiting the musicians to make that possible, settling on the bass and drums of Rob Rickenberg and Joe Evans respectively, combined with his own, vocals and piano and the trumpet of American musician, Andre Canniere.

Like a lot of songbook albums, and "Takin' Aim" is definitely a songbook album, it doesn't rely on a genre, rather an atmosphere, a mood that brings in what it needs from many related genres, as and when required, sharing a pattern established by the likes of Allen Toussaint, Mose Allison and Leonard Cohen.

The time spent ensuring that he had the right musicians to support his songs and ideas was time well spent. As you move through the album you really get to understand the trust the core musicians have in each other and that's not just the lead instrumentation of piano and trumpet, it's as much the contribution that comes from the rhythm section to boot.

This is an album of songs, the sort of songs that could be performed on a stage lit by a single light bulb and that would be enough illumination they would need because they really shine on their own and hold your attention, be it one of the more sultry, jazzy numbers, such as "Alpha Female" or heart wrenching and bitter like the sign off track, "Brave Little Soldier".

"Takin' Aim" is well worthy of the songbook tag. It's a great collection of songs eloquently performed. Andy Fleet has an album that will transport you away from the mundane.

Neil King