Kevin McDermott - Wise To The Fade

Any potentially interesting sounds have been filed down to a smooth, featureless surface

Album Review by Matt Gollock | 06 Jan 2008
Album title: Wise To The Fade
Artist: Kevin McDermott
Label: No Strings
Kevin McDermott has been releasing music for nigh on 25 years and this album is the first in eight. One gets the feeling that this is supposed to be a triumphant return but sadly it falls rather short. Wise to the Fade has a certain swagger to it, but the diluted boogie sounds like the mutant offspring of blues-fixated era Primal Scream lite and 80s Elton John. It is overproduced to within an inch of its life, and any potentially interesting sounds have been filed down to a smooth, featureless surface. To add insult to injury, the lyrics are wince-inducing - the chorus of "You're putting the wrong dog down again" being a prime example. As much as one might try to like this - for all McDermott's belief in the music - if you want something that will stimulate an emotion greater than 'meh', I'd suggest giving this a body swerve. [Matt Gollock]
Out Now
Kevin McDermott plays Celtic Connections at the ABC, Glasgow on 19 Jan http://www.kevinmcdermott.co.u