De La Sur

Album Review

Guitarist Christopher North claims that this is the album he had been planning since he first discovered music, and even describes this as the album that it took his whole lifetime to write. If held to those standards, even John Lennon would deliver a thunderous disappointment, but it's a charming little record when viewed simply as another album. Blending a talent for British pop (he's a native Texan) and a keen ear for soul melodies, North makes fairly minor pop music that is greatly enhanced by his charming personality and bigger-than-life charisma. Where a track like "Beautiful You" has a strong enough structure to turn out quite good, songs like "Fool's Fool" benefit from the performance style more than anything else. North seems as though he knows these songs inside and out, which only stands to reason considering how many instruments he plays on the release. This may not be consistently great, but North keeps things moving and always manages to deliver a few unexpected twists. Fans of soulful Brit-pop might find themselves a new songwriter to enjoy by giving this album a chance.