Chris Bradley @ Voodoo Rooms, 26 Jun
The Edinburgh native's sound seems more acclimated to his full-band set-up
The story of Chris Bradley's set at the Voodoo Rooms - celebrating the launch of his debut album, Voices - is one best told in three acts. In the first, Bradley assumes a traditional singer-songwriter pose, taking the stage with just an acoustic guitar and strumming his way through a few tunes of folk-inspired acoustic pop, his country-inflected vocals often jumping to falsetto heights. The Edinburgh native's sound, though, seems more acclimated to his full-band set-up. With a busy stage and the volume turned up a notch, Bradley and Co. work through a number of decent pop rock tracks, more informed by the AM gold of yesteryear than today's pop landscape. Though not marked by any stage changes, the third segment showcases the music's blues influence more clearly. Incorporating steel guitar, stomping beats and other marks of the genre, the final cluster of songs, including Rainy Song and Bring Your Trouble to the Mountain, bring an appealing punchiness to proceedings and end the night on a high note. [Jason Morton]
Voices is available now on CD and through various online music sellers.