MERMAID KISS: Salt On Skin

Cover	Release	Style
	2006-03-06	symphonic rock
	Label
	own release
	Website
	www.mermaidkiss.co.uk
	Contact
	music@mermaidkiss.co.uk
	Playing Time	Cat. N°
	29:41	MERM 02 CD
	Review by / Translated by	Rating
	Jany / Jennifer	8/10
nederlands	Review
I must admit that I was very curious about the new album from Mermaid Kiss. After the review from their previous album (The Mermaid Kiss Album), I had received some emails from band member Jamie Field, who would keep me up to date of their activities. He told me in one of the emails that there was a lot of attention directed toward the guitar, and more specifically, on the solos. This was just one of my comments before, so I was curious what the result would be. It turns out that they didn’t release a full album but a 7 track mini album. At first glance, this seems unfortunate, but it’s a solid opportunity to become acquainted once again with Mermaid Kiss. There are 3 female singers on this mini album, all of them with distinctive style differences. This has created an album with large amounts of variation. The opening song, “The Blushing Bride”, sounds like it could have appeared on a Karnataka album. The reason for that is because the guest artist is Paul Davies (Panic Room and ex-Karnataka). But that is not the sole reason. The construction and structure is comparable to Karnataka’s music. “The Blushing Bride” has a very good melody. It’s certainly one of the best songs on this mini album and contains some great guitar work (thanks to Davies). The fragile voice of Kate Belcher shines in the jazzy “Walk Away”. It sounds a bit like Sade, but, as a song, just that much better. Although it’s far too short, its fantastic guitar work is nothing to sneeze at. “Hollow”, with vocalist Evelyn Downing from the first album, gives you goose bumps. It’s very emotional à la Enya. “Human Zoo” is a bit more up beat and is comparable to some of the recent work of Isildurs Bane. The mood is once again solidified by Kate’s endearing voice. Nigel’s guitar solo could have come more to the foreground, but never mind, it’s still great. The calm and rippling “A Hard Row” is most noticeable for its fun chorus and the fragments of flute pieces, but I do find it a bit less than brilliant. “Volcano” really sticks with you, thanks to the strong harmonies on vocals and the delicious singing talents of Evelyn Downing. She has the kind of voice that grabs your attention. “I Go to Sleep” is a nice add on that could only be used as a closing number. ‘Salt on Skin’ is a good mini CD with, as promised, more attention given to the guitar. The strength of Mermaid Kiss rests on the vocal capacities, and in this case, the multiple vocal capacities. The price of this little gem will leave no one in doubt when getting to know Mermaid Kiss. This is a band with potential... www.mermaidkiss.co.uk
Musicians
Jamie Field: Acoustic and electric guitars, bass Andrew Garman: Keyboards, bass, drums Nigel Hooton: Guitars with Evelyn Downing: lead vocals on "Hollow" & "Volcano", flute on "A Hard Row", harmony vocals Kate Belcher: lead vocals on "Walk Away" & "Human Zoo" , additionel acoustic guitar on "Walk Away", harmony vocals Kate Emerson: lead vocals on "The Blushing Bride", "A Hard Row" & "I Go To Sleep" Guest Paul Davies: lead guitar on "The Blushing Bride"
Tracklist
The Blushing Bride Walk Away Hollow Human Zoo A Hard Row Volcano I Go To Sleep
Discography
Mermaid Kiss Salt On Skin


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