Tom Leach "Thank You For The Coffee" (Independent 2006)

Promising little sketchbook that could go either way

Georgia-bred songwriter Tom Leach has already released two albums and one single (a duet with Vic Chestnutt) on former Rykodisc imprint Slow River but this little 7 track affair is effectively a rough demo, presumably a sketchbook for what’s to follow. Recorded on a 4 track cassette over a couple of hours with no second takes, these songs are raggedly lo-fi but all the better for it. Leach’s vocals vary so wildly that it’s hard to believe the confidant gospel tenor of ‘I Remember a Little Old Town’ and the vulnerable hillbilly warbling of ‘Go On Home’ belong to the same man. Johnny Cash and the 60’s folk circuit are obviously major influences here but Leach is no imitator and, despite the lo-fi recordings (or, perhaps, because of it) there is something undeniably authentic and inspired at work here. As with most demos, there is a ‘work-in-progress’ feeling to these songs and the quality varies but, at the heart of it is a refreshingly unassuming, unaffected storyteller without a hint of pastiche and, on those grounds alone, Leach shows some serious promise. The crucial choice of producer and the sort of studio treatment these songs eventually get will determine how brilliant or bland this songwriter becomes.

Date review added:  Monday, July 10, 2006
Reviewer:  Robin Cracknell
Reviewers Rating:
Related web link:  artist's website