After a brief taste for some of us of what was to come in the joint Irish shows early in 2010 and the Abbey Road cover in Mojo the new collaboration between Glenn Tilbrook and NBZ does not disappoint. From the lively opening of “Chat Line Larry” to the dreamy “In Orbit” the album flows in an out of musical styles with ease. A Zydeco feel in “A Little Understanding”, a nod to Grand Old Opry in “Satin Sheets” and of course some classic blues with “The Next Thing I Knew”.
What shines through is a “less is more” approach especially in the instrumental numbers and “One Day I’ll Fly Away”. I have always been a fan of GT’s instantly recognisable vocals and they really shine through on this track and in the simple brilliance of “Ter-wit Ter-woo”. This is only part of the picture, GT’s guitar work added to the wealth of talent and experience of Dennis, Mark, Gerry and Brendan makes this CD a great listen. They may be out of their comfort zones but the hard work has paid off.
Always the sign of a good album to me is if it gets stuck in your head, and after one listen I was whistling “Satin Sheets” and “Because” whilst dragging round Sainsburys.
Like “It’s Never Too Late” it’s worth listening to the album through your headphones to hear the quality of the production – and to make yourself feel dizzy listening to “After Dinner Speech” !!
These gents have been entertaining us fans for a long time and we can all remember plenty of great shows over the years. In these times of belt tightening and austerity we all have not got as much spare cash as before, however, bands need us all to support them by buying CD’s and going to gigs to enable them to survive financially so please make NBZ a luxury you can always afford.
I was a tad worried when I ordered the new cd. A cooperative? What does that mean? How balanced is the cooperation? Will it sound 'NBZ'? Yes, it is different, but I need not have worried.
I am falling more in love with this cd with every play. There are some simply outstanding tracks on there, tracks which are now added to my late late night headphone indulgence list, others which won't leave my head. A big step to take, but one which complements and enhances the talents of the band rather than replace what we know them best for, a difficult and brave task so very well done to all!
