Gomez’s Mercury Prize winning 1998 debut album, “Bring It On”, was an instant classic with its fresh sounding quirky blues and modern folk rock sound. “Bring It On” was a tough act to follow, and despite the sales of subsequent albums, I don’t think they have ever recaptured the magic of the first album. With the possible exception of “Liquid Skin”, I suspect “A New Tide” may be their best follow up effort to date, alas I think it still falls short.Now signed to Dave Matthews’ label, and touring the States, Gomez seem to have left Stockport behind, and are successfully pursing the American Dream.
“Win Park Slope” is one album highlight worth picking out. It is a curious song featuring slide guitar and Ian Ball’s mature and powerful vocals. Incidentally, I seem to recall that when I reviewed the first album back in 1998, I commented on how mature and Dylan like their young lead vocalist sounded. I’m not quite sure how many cigarettes it took to get that voice, but it continues to work well.
In summary, “A New Tide” is a crisp and well produced set of 11 new songs, but I can’t help comparing it to the early days. Perhaps I’m just an old fart who prefers to cling on to the past.
