Pete Kent, Free Energy - album review
Wolverhampton guitarist Pete Kent showcases all his talents on his third record Free Energy, released via a city-based studio.
The fingerstyle guitarist has been sat on this for a little while (it's nearly three years since his last release), but he's now unleashed it for the world to hear. It's been worth the wait.
The Goldthorne Park boy, aged 45, has dropped all three albums on the Goldthorne Hill-based Revolver Records.
The latest is full of finger pickin' good, stripped back acoustics - no lyrics - comprising six originals and three covers.
Royal Blood's Little Monster, Jamiroquai's Virtual Insanity and the exceptional High And Dry from Radiohead's masterful The Bends album get a rework and sound freshly enticing in this format.
The first of these sounds darker somehow as Pete provides the melody, bass and percussion via one instrument. The choruses in particular heed a warning sign as the deeper bass moments threaten violence to come and the slight funk Royal Blood infused in it is chucked out.
High And Dry was a pretty placid track to begin with. And played this way adds even more raw emotion to the versus, dripping with melancholy as the melodies pluck away on top of slapped beats.
There is good work among his original material, too. It's easy to see how he has picked up backing and endorsement from brands like Ibanez guitars.
READ MORE: Wolverhampton's Pete Kent releases third album
There's something quite Sigur Ros to Mother Tongue, with that high-pitched, hopeful opening interlude that peels back into summer-time feels with an upbeat and quietly confident melody. It sounds a bit like Black's Wonderful Life as we descend towards the chorus, the pitches meeting perfectly.
The frantic nature of Shadow Boxer portrays a more emotional side to the violence of the sport. There is plenty of guttural woe in the deep, swooping melodies as the song progresses. It feels like if we had lyrics to listen to, they wouldn't have a happy ending.
And prepare to tap those feet along to the care-free swagger of opener The Blakenhall Shuffle. It's a sun-kissed Sunday afternoon beer garden rolled up into one bitesize song.
Rating: 8/10
Pete Kent's Free Energy can currently be heard on Spotify and purchased via Amazon and iTunes. Pete will be performing his material for fans at Bilston's Robin 2 on February 20.
