Album Details

• Artist: Spottiswoode & His Enemies
• Album: Salvation
• Label: High Wire Music
• Year of Release: 2008
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: digitalbath on 2008-03-09

Having never heard Spottiswoode & His Enemies before, I had no idea what to expect from this group.  When I turned on Salvation, I was surprised to  hear their fairly eclectic sound.  The album sounds reminiscent of all kinds of genres including easy listening, bluegrass, blues, jazz, folk, and a tinge of rock.  Salvation feels like one of those albums that would be really relaxing to  hear after a long day of work, but not really something you'd want to listen to frequently.

Spottiswoode is a very bland singer with a deep and mildly raspy voice.  His accent gives his vocals a unique sound as it comes through fairly clearly in his singing.  His vocal range would sound appropriate for bluegrass music, or even dance music such as Interpol or She Wants Revenge but I would compare his vocal sound to a jazz artist such as Jamie Cullum first and foremost.  The instrumentation is typical of any easy listening album.  Subtle guitars play in the background surrounded by brush-played drums (a jazz signature).  Spottiswoode is also frequently accompanied by a vocal chorus and like in many folk albums, a harmonica solos in some of the songs such as "Let the Cold Wind Blow."   

As I said previously in this review, if you've had a rough day at work and you want to listen to a soft and soothing album to simply unwind, Salvation is a great album to do just that.  However, if you're looking for musical inspiration, look somewhere else.  Spottiswoode & His Enemies definitely seems to be a band that has to grow on you before you're listening to them frequently. 

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