FM: Brotherhood

FM are a British rock institution yet remain criminally undiscovered by the general public. In a world where talent vacuums The 1975, Teddy Swims or say, Justin Bieber headline major festivals or have number one hits, FM plough on consistently pumping out their own brand of smooth melodic rock to their appreciative, if not enormous, audience. To say they are pleased with themselves would be an understatement .

“I am proud of the new album,� enthuses Overland, “It is one of our strongest song albums to date. It is another milestone, as it’s FM’s 15th album. It’s very well paced and has great variation in song styles throughout. The album’s big ballad, "Just Walk Away", is one of our best. I hope our fans feel the same way as we do about Brotherhood.�

Cards on the table, I am one of those fans and am feeling the love for Brotherhood. Steve Overland remains one of the greatest vocalists to come from the UK ably backed up by original member Merv Goldsworthy, Pete Jupp and long-time cohorts Jem Davies and the unfeasibly excellent guitarist Jim Kirkpatrick.

That said, I really do have to complain that it takes a whole nine seconds for Steve Overland to deliver a trademark “Yeeeeeah� and to be frank, that’s just not good enough but what a great bluesy (and I’m aware some people don’t like that aspect of FM) opening track "Do You Mean It" is. The standard is set early doors and never really slacks. Special mention must go to session backing vocalists Sonia Jones and Jade Morgan which give the track a Gospel vibe.

"Living On The Run" and "Coming for You" have a son of "Indiscreet" feeling, which is always a good thing, and "Raised On The Wrong Side" is pretty muscular stuff for FM and gets the Overland “whoaaa’ treatment, which again, is what we’re here for. Do you want some choppy Doobie-esque guitars and Hammond organ? "Love Comes To All" has very much got you covered there during its 1970s grooves.

There’s so much good work on Brotherhood, recent single and total earworm "Don’t Call It Love" is the glue on the second half of the disc. This is one of the (many) tunes where Jim Kirkpatrick shines. What a super, underrated guitarist he really is and it is disappointing that neither he nor the band aren’t much wider known. Did I mention the huge vocals on "Just Walk Away"? No? Massive oversight on my part. There really isn’t a weak link on Brotherhood and this must rank as one of the best 15th albums in history!

Track Listing:

1. Do You Mean It (3.54)
2. Living On The Run (4.19)
3. Coming For You (4.11)
4. Raised On The Wrong Side (4.50)
5. Love Comes To All (3.51)
6. Just Walk Away (6.08)
7. Don’t Call It Love (5.00)
8. Time Waits For No One (4.59)
9. Because Of You (4.47)
10. Chasing Freedom (4.47)
11. The Enemy Within (5.48)

Added: September 6th 2025
Reviewer: Simon Bray
Score:
Related Link: Band Website
Hits: 255
Language: english

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