3 BOXES – Strings Attached (Gregsongs CGCD1401)

3BoxesThe men behind the three boxes are former members of Plainsong: Andy Roberts, Clive Gregson and Mark Griffiths. All are experienced composers, players and singers which is why this album is rather puzzling. You see, Strings Attached is a set of guitar instrumentals written by the players and produced by the legendary John Wood. Not that there is anything wrong with that, except that I suspect that the majority of their audience would give their eye teeth for an album of songs from this trio.

The set opens with Roberts’ ‘Wranglin’’, typical of his penchant for country-rock guitar picking.and a good way to kick off. It’s followed by Griffiths’ ‘The Last Goodbye’ and like the later ‘The Car & The Great Salt Lake’ it has the expansive quality of a piece of film music. Gregson’s pieces tend to the quirky, at least as far titles go: ‘No Parrots In Tescos’, for example, although ‘Horny Pipey’ is what it says it is. Roberts is on particularly good form. ‘All The Pretty Little Horses’ and ‘I Have Lately Learned To Swim’ are both delightfully languid pieces and ‘Tick Tock’ harks back to the seventies. Tell me it was written for Nina And The Dream Tree and I’d believe you.

The cover pictures, taken from the ‘Wranglin’’ video, reminded me of The Blues Brothers – without the sharp suits, of course, and I suppose 3 Boxes embrace that spirit of doing your own thing. Strings Attached is an enjoyable album even if it isn’t the one we might expect or wish for.

Dai Jeffries

Artists’ website: http://www.3boxes.co.uk

Watch the ‘Wranglin” video:


We all give our spare time to run folking.com. Our aim has always been to keep folking a free service for our visitors, artists, PR agencies and tour promoters. If you wish help out and donate something (running costs currently funded by Paul Miles), please click the PayPal link below to send us a small one off payment or a monthly contribution.