In Print  Home  Directories  Reviews  Get In Touch  Forums  Links  Gig Guide  

Laurence Cooper: Phosphorescence

Laurence Cooper has been kicking around in bands since the 1960s so has quite a CV to his name. However this is only his second release as a solo artist, following up on 1998's '56 Coopers Lane'. This independently released album isn't quite what I was expecting. Sure - folk, jazz and blues are all represented, but I was surprised by the heavy emphasis on programmed sounds and keys. The result is a very studio sounding album, exaggerated with arrangements that sound straight out of the '80s. Recorded and mixed at Sky Lab Studios in Sydney, the songs tend to get lost, and the sound Cooper and his producer/collaborator Dave Russell have captured is already dated. There's a very easy listening/AC middle-aged world sound here, but the whole thrust of music pitched at this market is that the melody really has to be to the fore. Unfortunately most of the songs on here are quickly forgettable. First track Kiss Your Smile with its dub flirtations is a red herring.

Related Information