Three talented young Bendigo artists have released debut CDs in recent months.
First cab off the rank in March was Bill Barber with Thanks For Your Consideration – a polished blues debut that perfectly showcases Barber’s developing talents. Barber’s vocals – sometimes overlooked considering his guitar playing – really come to the fore on this album. The stand-out track for me, so far, is Ghost Blues.
Steph Bitter released her folksy five track debut EP, First of May. There are echoes of a mellower PJ Harvey about it. My stand-out is the haunting Golden Heart.
Quick on their heels (friendly youthful rivalry a factor?) came Frank Bell’s White Horse single. White Horse surprised me a bit – a moody, slow-moving, almost menace-laden heavy blues number. Music for a dark room late at night.
It’s exciting to have so much young talent in our midst.
