In loving memory of our co-founder, Darren Beech (4/08/1967 to 25/03/2021)

ANDY LLOYD – Bay Window  (DTI Records)

Bay WindowTitled because it features songs the Halesowen-born singer-songwriter used to record for YouTube in the bay window of his  flat, with music production by multi-instrumentalist Avago the opening track is  the warm somewhat samba sway of ‘Soul For The Summer’ followed by the slow heat hazed soulful dreaminess of ‘Into The Light’ that taps into his inner Bill Withers. Changing styles, ‘Another Day Late For Love’ is a scampering folksy fingerpicked number about growing older but never moving forward where the words tumble over each other while Indian Summer tips into more of a bluesy rock groove with strong hooks and electric guitar. Taking the mood back down, ‘For The Faith’ is a soft falsetto vocal fingerpicked, harmonica (?) and dampened drum shuffle, digging into more fiddle folksiness with the lazing, loping rhythm of ‘One Man Band’ with McCartney undertones. Indeed, there’s also a tint of a ‘Mull Of Kintyre’ strumming sway on the harmonica and piano-backed country balladeering ‘Loneliness Will Never Let You Down’, just one of the album’s many highlights.

Deep circling acoustic guitar notes, percussive clops and breathy vocals anchor Morning song, things moving to a close with the folksy shuffling vocally double-tracked (sounding like a duet) ‘Count As One’, strings-swathed piano 80s power ballad ‘These Days Of Love’, the melancholic slow walking ‘Away From Me’ and, finally, fingerpicked and strings-soaked, the wistfully lovely ‘Too Sad To Say Goodbye’. This is a magnificent album and in any just universe, he’d be up there with the Ed Sheerans of the world. Available on multiple streaming platforms from Apr 4, do yourself a favour and track Bay Window down. It’s already one of my albums of the year, it should be one of yours too.

Mike Davies

Artist’s website www.facebook.com/andy.lloyd.737

‘Too Sad To Say Goodbye’ – live at home:

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