A little tiresome

The Man Inside, by Jon Gibson. B-Rite Music (Word),
CD £14.99
WITH his voice being almost indistinguishable from Stevie Wonder's, Jon Gibson could hardly be anything but a soul singer (heavy metal or country and western wouldn't be quite the ticket), so that has been Jon's craft for a fair few years now.
Latest release The Man Inside kicks off with its title track, and typically for the contemporary r & b genre, heavily programmed drum/backing loops predominate in the sound. Moving on through the tracks, it tends to be much the same story - taken one song at a time it would be OK, but over an entire album the combined effect becomes rather tiresome, and I soon found myself longing for the dynamics of a 'real' band.
While unreadably microscopic lyrics on the sleeve did little to win me over, and I didn't quite get the point of the three musical interludes, with a little persistence I was able to find some noteworthy gems here - the gentle, but exhilarating Fly With The Wind, and There For You, God Will Find Ya and Gone With You, all of which would pass for a mellow Stevie Wonder on a good day.
Clinically rather than passionately soulful, but not too bad an effort.

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