The Feeling – Join With Us

• 20th Feb 2008

Having delicately prised the yearning, positive tinged, melodious, mid-tempo pop/rock blueprint from Del Amitri (leaving Justin Curry to survive in the trepid waters of a solo career). It may not surprise you to learn that this second album builds upon, without changing too much, the tuneful and passionate base of first album, ‘Twelve Stops And Home’.

Although, a lighter disco touch and a slight Duran Duran nudge gives opener ‘I Thought It Was Over’, a bubbly yet mystical edge and it shows that affairs of the heart are still very much on the minds of this crisp quintet. Something that seeps into the Athlete nodding slower burner ‘Without You’, as the prominent keyboard approach of the debut album is carried through. A slight increase in the tempo of the bass lines of Richard Jones, lends a little more of rocky foundation to a few tracks and represents the furthest departure from their popular mould.

Dan Gillespie Sells uses calming, choral femme backing to cushion his pleading push in tracks such as ‘Spare Me’, complementing the lobbing keyboards and drawing out more feeling (pardon the play on words). There is a prominent family friendly vibe to The Feeling, encapsulated through the vibrantly catchy cry of ‘Won’t Go Away’, featuring big sound guitars and percussion as well as chirpy backing vocals.

The universal subject matter of many of the songs that includes the theatrical ‘Loneliness’, is also going to broaden their ever widening appeal. A restful calmness is exuded through ‘This Time’, continuing an even tempo throughout these twelve tracks. There is plenty of ‘Fill My Little World’ catchiness to help the guys demand a similar amount of attention to last time, especially from Radio 1.