JC And The Supernumeraries
Album: For What You Seek (You Will Find)
Label: Village Bike
Tracks: 11
Website: http://www.jcgrimshaw.com

Half Chinese, half gypsy, totally immersed in the troubadour tradition, for his latest album, "For What You Seek (You Will Find)" musical chameleon, JC Grimshaw, has dropped his surname and added the Supernumeries to give a little more depth to his sound.

When I describe JC as being totally immersed in the troubadour solution, you must remember that the troubadours used to turn their hands to anything that might turn a bit of tin, generate a bit of coin. Grimshaw has played in dance bands, performed solo in folk and blues clubs, been a balladeer, a sidesman and the man in the light.

To be crass, "For What You Seek (You Will Find)" is a bit of a mongrel of an album, pulling in lots of influences, predominantly jazz, blues, folk and latin and turning them into songs totally laden with atmosphere, taking exactly what he needs for the song and discarding the rest, then for the next song, getting back into the spit and sawdust until he turns up another silver dollar.

The album is a bit of a family affair with other family members part of the Supernumeraries and another turning around the album cover. That clan approach seems to help with a relaxed, laidback attitude that strikes a devil may care approach that allows him to get closer to the songs than a sharp to the jugular attitude.

Now, hands up, there is a little loss of impact after a couple of plays, but that's more down to the fact that you know what's coming, that the shock and awe diminishes slightly, but that tends to get replaced by the respect for an album that delivers one short of a dozen high octane songs that ensure they are going to entertain. In busker terms, this album is a hat filler, JC shows his class as both writer and performer, indulge.

Neil King