Happiness – Ed Roman (reviewed by Dave Franklin)

Ed Roman is the proverbial box of chocolates, you never really know what you are going to get. You know it will be good. You know it will be interesting. Tastefulness is always in the mix, as is uniqueness. And these traits are, as predicted, all present in his latest release, Happiness.

Here, he takes a bit of a rock vibe but underplays it slightly, the acoustic guitar allowing space and light to bleed through this buoyant little number. And once he has created this supple and subtle framework there is room for vibrant electronic riffs to weave their way through without hindrance.

And so what you get is a song with a joyous and addictive vibe that blends analogue acoustica with digital electronica, which tips its hat to older post-punk pop pioneers as much as it does a sort of up to date country-rock vibe. An odd collision of sounds perhaps but one that Ed Roman deftly forges into his own musical identity. Did you expect anything less?