Cutting Out The Middleman

'Cutting Out The Middleman' is a beautifully crafted album. It opens with a song called 'Cactus Wine'. The song starts with the sound of footsteps as they traipse along the gravel and cinders of an old railroad. The footsteps die away into the distance before an eagerly strummed acoustic guitar takes over. Whose footsteps are these? Well, they're the footsteps of some loner keen to leave his deserted railroad town situated somewhere in the middle of nowhere. He is pining for a woman. All this loner wants to do is hop on a train with his 'Peggy' and leave the aching silence he has grown accustomed to. A hammer on steel reverberating against the night sky and the sound of a distant train add to the sense of desolation. There is however also a sense of anticipation and optimism in the song combined with a deep yearning for the landscape this loner feels he is about to leave behind. Musically this is reflected in the wild strumming of the acoustic and the steel slide at the end of the song. One day the loner vows to return, with his good lady of course. The album then shifts to the somewhat sensual 'One & One'. The guitar is picked delicately in an open drop G tuning. This gives the notes a deeper more resonant tone. Accompanying the woody sound of the guitar are Pete's warm vocals, which sing out "Let our souls dance like the fire. Let our bodies dance to the flame". The sound of the sea then arrives in the form of 'The Sea She Was A Friend To Me'. This song is a dedication to one of the natural world's greatest forces. Interesting here that the sea is referred to as a "she". Definitely something to be enjoyed, but not to be messed with! The title track 'Cutting Out The Middleman' has just electric guitars and voice. Powerful. Simple. Quite angry in the sense that it is a blast at schedulers/middlemen/clipboard wearers who make wasting other people’s time a bit of an art form. Optimism wins the day however when Pete exclaims, "You don't need no-one’s permission to walk towards your vision". Perhaps no finer example of optimism rising above the gloom is demonstrated in the final song on the album ‘To The Edges’. With concert ukulele, acoustic guitar, double bass and brushes combining with intricate harmonies, the final result is tremendously uplifting.

This album will leave you feeling more than just a wee bit optimistic. There are all sorts of emotions welling up in these songs. Five of the songs are mentioned here. There are thirteen in all to choose from. Some have Pete on his own with acoustic while others feature superb accompaniment from Andy Smith (drums/percussion), Paul Guppy (double bass) and Mike Tripp (concert ukulele).

Click here to listen to songs from Cutting Out the Middleman