Remember a time before all the smoke and mirrors, before the music business was shored up by TV production lines and style over substance, when it was all about merely writing and delivering a great song. Scott Powell does and the three tracks he offers us via his latest EP shows that in spades. Mixing witty, intelligent, insightful lyrics with tunes that get straight down to the point is a clear reminder for everyone of how powerful music is without all the clutter. No flash videos to distract, no media campaigns to convince people that liking this record will add to their cool factor just fulfilling the brief with the minimum of fuss.
The obvious touchstone, as many have pointed out is Ray Davis, the same quintessentially English tone and simple observations are clear and a refreshing change from the vast, starlit hubris that the encroaching Americanisation of music has become. Rather than singing about Cristal swigging party’s, the jet set life style and an alien showbiz world, LazyEye live in a world of shopping mall liaisons, overdrafts and swigging Babycham to old Supertramp records. My world and your world, if truth be told.
Closer, Killer Ohh, has already had a rather successful solo outing, but the two accompanying tracks highlight Powell’s song writing prowess. The wistful pop of Katie Jones and gentle narrative of Rich Man both stand on their own two feet and maintain the quality control we have come to expect from LazyEye.
I often finish such reviews by making some sort of statement to the effect of “great potential, now all they have to do is write that classic song and the world will take notice.” I’m not saying that isn’t true here, but I am saying that Scott Powell has already written them, they are right here, we just need to wait for the world to catch on. I’m waiting….
