ENGLISH AMERICAN by Crabb
'English American' is the debut album by Simon Crabb, that brings together all the musical currents and genres that have influenced him for 20 years!
After long 20 years of work, the album 'English American' has finally been released. The title reflects more than ever the content of the album. In this review, I would particularly like to highlight how the album 'English American' weaves together the bright musical currents of the British scene with a slight hint of pop rock, Americana and dark country. For me, the album had a hypnotic effect because of its sonority and other things I love about the Americana genre. The title of the album fully justifies its content. 'English American' is the best representative of the albums that take the first place in the collection.
On this album Simon shows his vulnerable, outspoken side. Slow guitar picks mixed with stadium tracks like 'Evil Man' create a certain mood, an atmosphere of contemplation and closeness to the listener. In general, the American genre offers more room for creativity than "country" - it's much easier to incorporate different experiments, play with vocals and instruments, and switch styles. Crabb takes full advantage of this.
The album opens with the song 'Evil Man.' Heavy guitars, drums, strings, Crabb's sonorous and strong voice fill the space around me with rock with Americana elements. This is a real anthem. Right on the mark. The brightest and deepest soundtrack to the classic western with sand-dusted bars and gunfights on the square. Revolution and the spirit of freedom of America in the song 'Stop Me Now.' Heavy rock guitars found their sound surprisingly well and created a deep, sinisterly dark country sound.
'10 Years' is my favourite song on the album. Crabb has managed to combine rock and country into one sound. I am completely split. I seem to keep hearing the wildly open, free and emotional rock vocals of the British scene, but it sounds like an all-American country sound. On the track 'Mikanos,' the album takes a break. The fast tempo is replaced by a slow acoustic sound. The aesthetic huskiness of Crabb adds to the uniqueness of the voice. This song would be perfect for a movie soundtrack. The light-hearted track 'Running Reds' sounds like a country pop reference, while the track 'White Horses' reveals Crabb's full vocal range.
The song 'Love Bites' draws my attention to the guitar solo, playful rhythm and chorus of Crabb's many voices. The musician seems to be singing to himself, creating the aura of a grandiose performance with many musicians on stage. This not only sounds beautiful, but is the true beauty of Americana in all its origins. Amazingly well done! The album ends with the fast 'So Long & Farewell' with blues influences. The track leaves the pleasant feeling of a time perfectly spent and a wonderful ending. It's like watching an epic three-hour movie come to an end.
'English American' is Simon Crabb's honest and confessional work and shows as a real professional. It's just as good, maybe even better. 'English American' finally lets the listener understand that Crabb is a versatile musician who is no stranger to different styles. The album is captivating in its dissimilarity to "classic Americana" and also impresses with its organicity - he is clearly comfortable in this sound. But above all, 'English American' is an album that perfectly masters its main task: to give the listener a feeling of pleasant magical escapism and remind everyone how real music should sound.
