Garron Frith
Album: Away From The Bright Lights
Label: Skiffler
Tracks: 10
Website: http://www.garronfrith.co.uk

Away From The Bright Lights is the second album from North West artist Garron Frith following on from the imaginatively titled 2007 release The Debut. The new record is quite simply a bluesy/folk rock marvel. Frith's songs deserve to be heard by a wider audience because there is something magical about the way his guitar licks blend with his honey-dipped vocals.

Not The Man is reminiscent of mid-70s Fleetwood Mac in their Rumours-era prime. Beautiful fingerpicked guitars, vocal harmonies and an exceptionally catchy chorus. Lindsey Buckingham eat your heart out! As a big fan of the Mac this is definitely a major plus and sucked me into the record. RockNRollBand continues this fine vein of majesty with an impassioned performance which brings to mind what it might be like if Neil Young and James Dean Bradfield (of the Manic Street Preachers) had some kind of illegitimate lovechild (I realise this would be a medical miracle like in the Arnold Schwarzenegger comedy Junior, but humour me!).

Frith is an exceptional guitar player. His fingerpicking is almost orchestral in places, particularly in Little Bird, and the use of harmonica on The Remedy coupled with banjo (all played by this talented multi-instrumentalist) brings a country feel to a record that has many influences which are all executed to perfection.

Throughout his career Garron Frith has already opened for established names like Imelda May and Peter Green (there's another Mac connection!) and if this record can reach the masses then there is no reason why he couldn't join them. With songs this beautiful I would love him to get the recognition he deserves.

Simon Ridley