THE PETAL FALLS THE RHYTHM TRAIN

REVIEWER – GRAEME WRIGHT

The Petal Falls were born in the 1990’s, created by the multi-talented Keith Leahy, but the decision to sign to a record label ultimately led to their undoing. The music from this period eventually became available and the songs were re-recorded and released across four albums, receiving hugely positive feedback from the music press as well as bringing many new fans on board. The band are probably best described as a traditional rock band with hints of Bruce Springsteen, The Rolling Stones and INXS amongst others across their ouvre.

The new album is called ‘The Rhythm Train’ and it had me fully onboard from the very first listen. The production on this record is immense, seamlessly layering songs that include complex arrangements and backing vocals that make this album sound like it had the production budget of a Hall and Oates record. All ten songs are high quality and for me they are the perfect material to sit back and relax to while sipping a glass of red wine after a hard days graft at the office.

The thing I liked the most about this record is the poetic quality of the lyrics that are not afraid to touch on darker subjects, such as the opening track ‘Obsession’. This tells the story of an obsessional relationship and how it feels to be under the spell of another person. It’s a fiery song with real emotion behind it and is beautifully played across the board. ‘One Of A Kind’ had me on board right from the start with its sax opening and it’s the kind of tune that you’d be blasting out of your car in the summer with both the roof and the volume up while you’re driving to the beach without a care in the world.

‘Side by Side’ is up next and the quality levels remain through the roof. This has the eighties written all over it with a touch of INXS added to the mix and it’s another immediate song that gets its hooks into you on the very first listen. ‘Dancin’ Through The Crowd’ has a Springsteen style lyric and is a real toe tapper with a big chorus and there is something hugely infectious about the song which left me with a big grin on my face. ‘Give A Little Love’ is a beautifully laid back track with a dark theme to the lyrics, while title track ‘The Rhythm Train’ is an absolute banger of a tune with a huge hook and a bluesy feel to the proceedings. ‘Someone Somewhere’ is a melodic gem which takes me back to the music of my teenager years, while ‘Someday’ is my favourite song on the entire record and wouldn’t be out of place on the soundtrack of a John Hughes film with its massive chorus and some stellar guitar work in the mix.

‘A Little Piece Of Heaven’ contains soulful vocals and all too soon we are into the final song ‘Will The World Stop Turning’, which ends the proceedings in fine style and is as smooth as silk. From start to finish this is a great album, one that took me wistfully back to another time and place where life seemed simpler and this is a record that I will no doubt return to time and time again in the future. Great stuff, and if you like this genre of Rock Music it’s a perfect piece of work to see out the end of the Summer with.

BAND

The Petal Falls:

Keith Leahy – Lead Vocals/Guitar/Keyboards

Robert Harpum – Guitar

Robin Tucker – Drums

Martin Corder – Bass

With help from:

Backing Vocals – April Davis, Tracy Tucker

Keyboards – Lee Tucker

Guitars – Barry Kitchin

ALBUM TRACK LIST

1. Obsession

2. One Of A Kind

3. Side By Side

4. Dancin’ Through The Crowd

5. Give A Little Love

6. The Rhythm Train

7. Someone Somewhere

8. Someday

9. A Little Piece Of Heaven

10. Will The World Stop Turning