PLUSH - 'PLUSH' Album Review

Tracklist:

1. Athena

2. Champion

3. Hate

4. Found A Way

5. I Don't Care

6. Sober

7. Better Off Alone

8. Sorry

9. Why Do I Even Try

10. Bring Me Down

11. Don't Say That

12. Will Not Win

13. Walk Away

This band are on a mission to put Rock front and centre of the music industry, with an album like this they might just succeed!

This is a proper, full on, Rock album with a lead vocalist who has an excellent voice, a band who provide the perfect soundscape to support their front woman and some top of the range riffs. What’s not to love?

If there is one thing that holds me back from declaring this to be one of the Rock albums of the year it’s that I’m not convinced the song writing consistently matches the vocals and the bands capabilities. It does in nearly all of the songs, but there are couple that feel like they don’t reach the heights this band feel capable of. Songs like 'Champion', 'Hate', 'Found A Way' and 'Bring Me Down' show what they are capable of. I think once they hit that level of consistency in their songwriting they might just become unstoppable.

If you want an example of what they can do and don’t want to listen to this whole album then listen to 'Sorry', if you don’t get if after that, then you’re not going to but if that one song hits the spot then I guarantee you’re going to download or buy this album and be glad you did.

There is a huge amount of talent on display here, so much to enjoy and so much to lead me to believe that PLUSH’s mission will be successful. If I have one recommendation for this band it’s to trust their instincts but also to focus on the songwriting, the talent is here, they need the consistency of songs to match it. Songs like the previously mentioned 'Sorry', 'Hate' and 'Found a Way' have the feeling of a breakthrough hits.

The blueprint here is clearly to follow some of the great Rock bands but reinvent the songs for the world we live in while also focusing on some of the classic themes of all great Rock songs, alienation, dysfunctional relationships and yearning for what you can’t have. It works on many different levels and, when you have a vocalist like this, some of the deficiencies in their songwriting are masked (the overwhelming majority of the songs are excellent).

They have the look, the style and the musical ability, if there is any justice in this world, and if they maintain the levels they are so clearly capable of reaching, this band are going to be massive!