Hiding in Public-What Lies Ahead

Hiding in Public - my first thought was that it's an interesting oxymoron. What Lies Ahead features the edgy throaty, yet warm vocals of Jamie Moses (Brian May Band, Queen, Paul Rodgers) and the driving guitars of Moses and David Holland. Kevin Poree plays bass and keys, and his partner in rhythm is John Tonks on drums. The four men form quite a team and the talent is undeniable in this London band.

This is good rock music and when you first hear it you like it. After the second or third spin, you love it! There are many catchy tunes on this CD. "Traffic In My Head" seems like the first choice for a rock radio ready hit. The beat and hooks are hard to ignore and the lyrics are very introspective and deep. The one line that really got me was "Driving through the traffic in my head." Lord have mercy can I relate to that!

I like what this band has to offer; lyrics that make your synaptic pathways grow - and you can understand every word, what a concept! The music that accompanies the words is outstanding so you get the entire package. I like the atmosphere these excellent musicians lay down to invite the lyrics to find more meaning and depth. It is as if the music is the gas and the words drive the car - right smack down the middle of the traffic in your head. It's nice to clear out all of that chatter and focus on one thing and this music allowed me to do that, and for this listener that is a blessing. The tracks feature some nice acoustic strumming filled with an upfront rhythm section. The mixture of the mellower numbers is appreciated more because there is equal measure of rockers in between.

Everything is loud and clear. The production values allow good separation of each instrument yet it all gels together making it one cohesive unit, which is quite impressive. The three rockers "Traffic In My Head," "Mr Greenswamp" and "Everything You Need" I especially enjoyed because they are upbeat rockers and the lyrics really sunk in. I noticed a recurring theme. They sing a lot about money, greed, corporate business, and all the corruption that goes along with it. They see clearly the glamorous deceptions of modern life and confront them head on. I can relate to all of it on every level.

It is cool to be able to pull together every aspect of a song. I feel like I know the band now after hearing their album. You know something special is happening when you feel you developed a relationship with people you have never met before, good music accomplishes this, and this CD gets it done.

© Keith "MuzikMan" Hannaleck

January 3, 2006

Tracks:

01. Satellite (4:00)
02. Closing In (3:30)
03. Things Will Never Be The Same (3:20)
04. Traffic In My Head (3:25)
05. Home Tonight (3:45)
06. Take Anything (3:37)
07. Mr Greenswamp (4:09)
08. Everything You Need (3:51)
09. I'll Save Myself (3:51)
10. As The Sirens Sang (6:29)
11. Katy & Ben (3:10)

Credits:

Jamie Moses: vocals, guitar
David Holland: guitar
Kevin Poree: bass, piano, keyboards
John Tonks: drums, percussion