Owen Moore
Album: Simplicated Songs
Label: Self Released
Tracks: 10
Website: http://www.myspace.com/owen.moore

We've reviewed a couple of albums from the Poole/Bournemouth based busker, Owen Moore, in Fatea before, but it's been a couple of years since we last did one. In my experience voice and guitar buskers fall into two categories, those that do covers and those that build up sets of their own songs. Either way they both have the same objective, to get passers-by to stop and throw coin into the guitar case. That requires songs that catch the attention quickly, something slightly more difficult for the latter as they don't have the advantage of a familiar hook with which to reel the public in.

In the old days of busking, you were just trying to make a brief intrusion into the life of the passer-by, get the coin and hope they made enough space for the next passer-by to have their attention grabbed. These days the new objective is to try and hold them long enough for you to be able to flog them your latest cd as well. This is where the busker that writes their own material starts gaining the advantage, particularly if they're hoping to take money off the locals as well as passing tourists.

If you're only going to hear a song or two, it doesn't matter how soon those songs are repeated, if you're working in the area near the busker, you want to hear plenty of variety, a set list if you like and Owen Moore regularly develops new set lists, periodically turning them into albums.

"Simplicated Songs" could just as easily be called "Songs To Get Your Attention", light and hook laden, the country styled songs draw on both Irish and American influences to provide themes that are instantly accessible, you can feel the influences of the likes of Glen Campbell and Johhny Cash reverberating around the album and that's no bad thing.

Owen Moore has put together an album that is sunny and breezy. There's enough depth to hold your attention, to reach to your pocket to throw a coin or two into the guitar case, more importantly, there's enough there for me to suggest that whilst you're there add a note and take away a cd as a reminder.

Neil King