Hockridge, Murray & Dave Kilminster: Closer to Earth

For those of you who are into Roger Waters and Pink Floyd, you may know Dave Kilminster as Water's guitar player on his recent "Wall" tour the last few years. If you have seen any of the concerts or video footage you will know he is a fine guitar player. Murray Hockridge, on the other hand, is not nearly as well known. That may soon change with their debut album Closer to Earth.

On the album Hockridge adds vocals and guitar while Kilminster provides background vocals and guitar. The duo chose eleven melodic pop/rock songs and reinvented them in an acoustic format. What stood out right away were Hockridge's sublime vocals. His voice is clear and rich, ideally suited for Kilminster's acoustic arrangements. The duo never try to outdo each other, preferring to let the other be in the spotlight when the need arises.

At first glance some the choices may seem like a head scratcher like George Michael's "Father Figure", Hall and Oates' "Sara Smile" and Cyndi Lauper's "Time After Time". Fear not however, as all of these songs benefit from the acoustic treatment. The album opens with REM's "Losing My Religion" with its slowed down tempo and subtle acoustic tapestries. It is a sparse arrangement but very effective nonetheless. On Elton John's "Rocket Man" there are some acoustic moments recalling Pink Floyd's "Breathe" from Dark Side Of The Moon and the guitar work has a decided dreamy feel. Hockridge's vocals are excellent here. Another highlight is the 10cc classic "I'm Not In Love". I love the middle section with its dreamy effects and gentle acoustic picking. The chords fade in slowly giving rise to Hockridge's spot on vocals. Great stuff. The album ends with the Floyd classic "Wish You Were Here". Glad they chose at least one Floyd tune and it lends well to the duo's acoustic charms.

This is as tasteful an album you are likely to hear and even if you don't like cover songs I urge you to give this a listen. Of course, if you dig acoustic guitar this is a no brainer. Released on Killer Guitar Records.

Track Listing:
1. Losing My Religion
2. Rocket man
3. Father Figure
4. I'm Not In Love
5. Street Spirit
6. Brown Eyed Girl
7. Any Major Dude Will Tell You
8. Hallelujah
9. Sara Smile
10. Time After Time
11. Wish You Were Here

Added: January 16th 2014
Reviewer: Jon Neudorf
Score:
Related Link: Artist's Official Site
Hits: 1808
Language: english

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