Shindig! David Woodcock Album Review

Published on 1st August 2014 (UK)

Media title : Shindig!

Author : Vic Templar

Must be something in that Essex water that can turn outsongsmiths with an ear for a witty ditty married to a delightful melody, for this debut from Southend-on-Sea’s newest favourite son owes much to the London overspill that has given us Albarn, Dury, Stanshall, Bragg and Feelgood with Davies, Hodges and Squeeze near neighbours. The influence of all these can be heard in this pianist and vocalist’s more than promising debut. From the opener, the single ‘Same Things’, the pace is kept at a jaunty level throughout. A second single, ‘Beggars Can’t Be Choosers’, ‘Relatively Single Man’ and ‘The Adventures Of You And Me’ stand out among a uniformly decent dozen. Uncannily similar in flavour to one of this year’s finest albums, Simon Wells’ The Shopkeeper’s Son, if you like a tune on the old Joanna with a wry lyric in a Cockney twang then this’ll be right up your manor.

4 STARS