Ezio “Ten Thousand Bars” (Tapete Records 2006)

ITV or HBO?

ITV drama is incestuous in its casting and theme - you get the same actors playing the same stereotyped parts in the same generic dramas. It is all competent, safe and if you are familiar with it; comforting. Ezio are like this, the songs sound instantly familiar, the influences are instantly recognizable (Dylan, Van, Jeff Buckley, Ryan Adams), you feel like you’ve heard it all before and it is more than probable that you have. The familiarity makes it easy to digest. I’m only surprised that Ezio aren’t more popular, as it is well done, very well done; all it lacks is a spark of originality. So, just as ITV do hospital dramas with ex-soap stars Ezio do country rock, acoustic ballads, country ballads, acoustic country rock ballads, you get the idea. The subject matter is generic too. There were moments when I thought it was going to turn into an acoustic Nickleback, and thankfully this was fleeting. If you compare ‘The Bill’ with ‘The Wire’ or ‘The Royal’ with ‘ER’ you get some idea of the contrast between this version of Americana and the kind of excellence it is capable of, the difference between the competent and the inspired.

Date review added:  Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Reviewer:  David Cowling
Reviewers Rating:
Related web link:  Official site