Seriously Down
by: peter naldrett - uk correspondent

James Walsh has a voice so hot that he could melt a choc-ice with just a couple of lines. In this, their debut year, he has already led Starsailor to blitz the charts with three outstanding singles, and now it is time to see if they can really cut the cheese and produce an outstanding opening album. Well, the answer is that they can, because Love Is Here certainly stands up to critical scrutiny and will ensure that they go down as the brightest newcomers on the British scene this year.

Soon to embark on a UK tour to push Love Is Here, Starsailor are already familiar to radio listeners thanks to the three cracking singles that paved the way for the album.

"Fever," "Good Souls" and "Alcoholic" all stand out on Love Is Here, but the positive sign is that they are not isolated moments of genius. This is not an album of three singles surrounded by a desert of fillers rushed out to cash in on their success. "Tie Up My Hands," "Poor Misguided Fool" and "Coming Down" are all sweet moments on an album that is instantly likeable and will become a debut classic, in much the same way as Coldplay’s Parachutes has.

And as for picking the name, Walsh explained that Love Is Here was chosen because of the theme of the album.

"Everything around at the moment seems to have a cynical edge," said Walsh.

Despite these feelings of hippyish love, Love Is Here is a downbeat, melancholy album, so don’t expect a ray of warm, golden sunshine that will make you smile with joy. Instead, anticipate the seriously good sound of a serious band about to make some serious waves.
17-Oct-2001 10:46 PM

If you liked Love Is Here...

• Coldplay - Parachutes
• Super Furry Animals - Rings Around the World
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