Avant Gardner
Album: Legend In Your Own Living Room
Label: It's Black Music
Tracks: 12
Website: http://www.avantgardner.co.uk

I've reviewed albums by Avant Gardner before, but I was really surprised by his new album, "Legend In Your Own Living Room" mainly because it's not out on a bigger label. Multi instrumentalist, singer songwriter Gardner has been consistently quality albums for a while now, the latest one being his either and with plans for number nine no doubt already forming in his mind.

In the past reviewers regularly used to talk about artists paying their dues. That unspecified period where they were pretty much supposed to live, virtually starving in a garret, whilst learning their craft playing unpaid support slots in seedy clubs. Well if that model ever really existed, then it's about time a few of the trappings of real success started heading Avant's way because he's paid his dues and then some.

Maybe the title of "Legend In Your Own Living Room" is a bit of a dig at that circumstance, because on the evidence of this and earlier albums, Avant Gardner is an artist that deserves to be wider known, he's definitely got the talent and history shows he's more than willing to put in the graft.

There are some nice West Coast pop sounds that infiltrate the way Gardner put's his songs together, it gives the sound a light edge that sometimes defies the emotional themes that lurk just beneath the surface. At other times it provides a jauntiness that lets you lose yourself in the songs and simply use them as a way of escaping the rat race, even if only for a short time.

Melody and hooks are a key component of his style, good honest acoustic pop songs with a real heart and an album with plenty of them to enjoy. I'd like to think that this is the album that will allow Avant to make the breakthrough, "Legend In Your Own Living Room" definitely worthy of your time, consideration and a little bit of your tin.

Neil King