Skybound - Released 2008 - 7

The more you get into this album the more you realise that it has been exquisitely put together with songs about love and hope. My only reservation about Baxter is his rather high pitched falsetto voice but there is no denying the poetical feel to the lyrics. This is rock music for the intelligent set. I have an interest in Baxter's work as he comes from Bungay in Suffolk - a town I covered as a young newspaper reporter back in the 1970s. There is a jazz feel to many of the songs and there will be obvious comparisons with the voice of Jeff Buckley. Baxter doesn't quite have the tonal range of his American counterpart but he always writes literate songs within his vocal range. I have seen him live and he produces a much rockier sound. That doesn't detract, however, from the atmospheric feel of this album which was Record of the Week on Radio Two. Baxter is a good singer-songwriter in the James Blunt mould. My record of the year in 2007 was Jack Savoretti's Between the Minds and this reminds me of that album. There's latino, folk and many other mixes here. Perfect for a relaxing evening with a chill out glass of wine. Lyrically it's very strong with the title track being a superb example. I think as we look back in a few years time, this will be remembered as Baxter's best work, appealing to a variety of ages and certainly both sexes.