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It Bites are back albeit without Francis Dunnery and in
his place John Mitchell (Kino/Arena) takes over on guitar/vocals
joining original members John Beck (keys) and Bob Dalton (drums)
- the latter two were also involved in Kino. Original bassist
Dick Nolan was initially involved but left after various issues
and the bass duties are spilt between the two John's on the
album.***
Whenever a band changes a vocalist you always have concerns
as a fan that the band's sound may radically alter but have
no fear as John Mitchell fits seamlessly into the band. Opener
'Oh My God' starts of with some gorgeous vocal harmonies and
keys making for a classic It Bites tune. You can't get the
damn tune out of your head! 'Ghosts' keeps the pace going
and again it is so good to hear Beck's keyboards meld so well
with John Mitchell's vocals and guitars plus drummer Bob Dalton
keeps the beat running along nicely. ‘Playground' and 'Memory
Of Water' first saw light of day on the band's live album
'When The Lights Go Down' whilst the title track is a majestic
piece that builds again on the keys/guitar. 'For Safekeeping'
is one of those quieter songs that suit John Mitchell's voice
down to a tee and the listener can revel in the lovely piano
used throughout. The band do stretch out into epics including
the eight minutes of 'The Wind hat Shakes The Barley', again
this has a very catchy chorus and musically could have come
of the Kino album. 'Great Disasters' would be a hit single
along the lines of 'All In Red' and shows the band's great
pop sensibilities. But the big epic is the thirteen minute
delight that is 'This Is England' which starts with a gentle
vocal by John Mitchell before the music kicks in and midway
through the song goes off on another musical path. A definate
move forward for the band's sound.***
This album is a good as I hoped it would be and more.
John Mitchell fits the band's sound like a glove and this
album is as strong as, if not better than 'The Big Lad In
The Windmill' or 'Meet Me In St. Louis'. Kino's album was
one of my top five albums of 2005 and this album will easily
make my top five for this year (no mean feat when you consider
the amount of great music released this year). Hopefully this
will mark a new chapter for this band and if you have not
experienced the band's music before then this is a good a
place as any to start.
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