Every so often I get someone asking me for my postal address to send me a
CD. I'm not sure whether they're thanking me for something they like about
one of my websites or whether they're expecting me to proclaim nice things
about the album or what. If I was a journalist for some big music mag
maybe I could understand it, but I'm not so I don't. Anyway, I think
Ralston Bowles opened for
Hothouse Flowers at one (or more?) of their shows in the US last year. A couple of weeks ago Ralston emailed me for my
postal address and this week his CD "Carwreck Conversations" turned up. He
didn't explain why he was sending it to me but at this point I'm not
complaining - it's a pretty good album.
The songs are smart, the vocals relaxed and the arrangements are
interesting and occasionally intriguing. From the cool photos on the
artwork through to the sparkling sound of the mix, this is a pretty classy
album. If you like intelligent singer/songwriters like David Gray or James
Taylor you might like this one. I was surprised when I just found his
website and discovered this is his first album.
So, yeah, call this a blatant plug if you like. If you like Hothouse Flowers I can't
*guarantee* you'll like this (maybe you will, maybe you won't) but if
you're already familiar with Ralston from somewhere and you're wondering
whether his first album is any good, I'd have to say it is. This one won't
wind up in my odd-albums-someone-sent-me-for-some-reason pile...
