Never The Bride

The rumours were flying prior to this release that Nikki Lamborn and Catherine Feeney (Been) were going to deliver a Blues-Rock album and join the resurgence in the genre led by Bonamassa, King King, Robin Trowner & Co. Well, to a point it’s true as five of the thirteen song album ‘For Better For Worse’ are Blues based. One thing is for sure, Never The Bride is known for variety and here we cross the Rock genre with the Blues, Country, Americana and even some Gospel elements dropped in for good measure.To carry out this recording, the choice of producer Livingstone Brown in London’s State Of The Ark studios, who has work with artists such as Tina Turner, The Climax Blues Band and Mr. Trower through to De La Soul and Maxi Priest, to name a few, can only suit the job in hand perfectly.

The opener kicks off with ‘Love Finds The Young And Old’, a mid-pace Blues rocker, which has a Bon Jovi anthemic feel about it, leads us to a quick genre switch with song two, ‘Web Of The Stranger’, the Bond themed number that Nikki adopts Shirley Bassey style phasing. In at three - ‘For Better For Worse’ - eases us in like a Sunday morning with a Blues ballad, where Nikki reaches for her heartfelt inner Janis (yes, Joplin) backed smoothly by Been’s sensitive piano pieces. So, we move swiftly on to what I’m calling the top number of album! ‘Don’t Trudge Mud In The House of Love’ - a title Seasick Steve would easily accommodate - with this deep down and dirty Blues rocker that should be top of every Blues DJ’s playlist - end of!

OK, lets move on and not to disappoint their original fan base track five goes more AOR with ‘We Can Work it Out’ before the first of two songs featuring keyboardist Catherine singing in her own Scottish voice with ‘Mind How You Go’ and later with ‘I Got A Calling’ (track 10) which, If I said were crossing Eddi Reader and The Mavericks, you can get a sense of the Pop/Country Been is taking us down.

In at seven - ‘Tiger Bay’ is a clever number, which could quite easily see fifty drummer boys matching down the valleys of South Wales to meet the incoming ships, whilst tracks eight and nine are home to a couple of AOR belters in the form of ‘April Rain’, a heartfelt piano ballad, and more mid-tempo, ‘You’re Not Alone’.

As for ‘Independence Day’, well, I feel like I’m on one of those Venice gondolas when we go all Bassey style on song eleven. Closing the album at number twelve is ‘Girls Are Back in Town’, a mid-pace rocker, and then lastly, the more down-tempo Gospel Blues of ‘Don’t Let the Rain Fall Down’ - not sure how you’re going to stop it Nikki and Been – but you do have a good collection for your repertoire!

Both physical versions of Vinyl and CD are available along with the usual digital outlets.

https://www.neverthebride.com/

https://open.spotify.com/artist/5sEn8Q2HErAIjw14YNXRYw?si=ga3mZrqyRjuNMCMtlb6pqQ

Geoff C.