Steve Murray & Kingbird
Album: Audio Book
Label: New Recruit
Tracks: 13
Website: http://www.stevemurrayandkingbird.com

Whilst his weapon of choice may be of a more alt.country bent these days, Steve Murray's punk sensibilities from his years as the front man of Fast Cars, remain very much to the core. There is a real determination in "Audio Book" and it's got a lot of that things should be better and we can make them better attitude to it.

Hope seems to be consistent theme through the album and Steve Murray & Kingbird have taken that one stage further with proceeds from the album going to Georgia's Children, a charity set up in memory of Steve's Daughter which helps out in the poverty stricken streets of Phnom Penh with a message really brought home on "Clowns With Hearts Of Gold".

Murray's background gives the phrasing and song construction on "Audio Book" a slightly different sound to a lot of alt.country it's got a harder edge, even when in the brushed percussion and piano driven numbers and it works very well.

As you might expect from the title, this is an album of narrative songs, though mainly following the emotional tales of love, life and particularly loss, but all in a way that manage to find a path to inner strength and personal growth. If that sounds a little heavy, don't worry about it, because he manages to keep the setting light and at times jaunty.

If you want to find out more about Georgia's Children, the website can be found here, www.georgiaschildren.com

Neil King