The Petal Falls
Workin’ All Night, Workin’ All Day
Album review by; Nick
I really took an interest in this band after playing one of their songs on the radio and when I finally got the chance to do a review on the album I jumped at the opportunity. The Petal Falls are a fine collective of musicians spearheaded by frontman Keith Leahy forming in Kent in the late 90s. They bring something different to the table and provide a wide range of musical styles and influences. It is always nice to hear a band who are hard to categorise because you really must go in with an open mind and it is always tougher to draw comparisons to other artists.
The album kicks off with A Man in Chains, from the off the band take you on a musical journey and you get lost in the pure beauty and colourful music that they provide. Keith Leahy’s vocals are unique in style, but this makes him an incredibly talented singer who can channel his voice to how it suits his style and providing a pitch perfect performance because of his skills. The musicianship is also glorious, there is such a big production and feel to this album that makes it hard to sound like a debut.
Love in Motion is the next song, and it brings a summer feel to the atmosphere of the record. A beautifully crafted melodic song with plenty of pop hooks, it’s very Keyboard dominated but you can hear that the guitars in the song compliment the keyboards and fill the gaps with various colours and textures which bring in the hooks pleasantly.
I Was Amazed continues the melodic craft of the album on giving the listener a warm feel. It is a beautiful melodic ballad which reminds me in times of late 80s era bands such as FM and Strangeways. The song really continues the chilled out feel of this record and this track especially has a lovely slow groove, perfect to dance to. All Across the World continues with a driving theme, again the influences are there, I can hear bits of 80s era Roxy Music in this one, another band who also were hard to categorise, so with this realisation I understood the music a little more and embraced the diverse styles, something which is what I feel will make this album one of the highlights of the year.
Halfway through the album and I get lost in the music and forget what is around, the next song Rain for me is the highlight of the album and has everything I want to hear in a Petal Falls. The song is anthemic, a catchy singalong chorus which I found myself singing along to even though I was not familiar with the lyrics, it grabs you in and does not let go. Such a beautiful song with an elegant 80s AOR sound. The next song Have a Little Faith continues with the driving melody and engrossing lyrics, one of those songs where you need to put on a set of headphones and take in the story. I get the feeling a lot of their songs are like short stories and it really shows the intelligence and craft of Leahy’s song writing.
The title track is the perfect track to represent this album, again more stories to tell from Leahy’s lyrics and a song where I feel would be an absolute radio hit. It is friendly and I can hear elements of Deacon Blue and Steve Hogarth era Marillion. Going back to Keith Leahy’s voice an unusual comparison I would like to bring up also is Phil Mogg from hard rock band UFO. I feel he has a low raspy storytelling voice in the same context.
Then we have beautiful ballad Mariah, another one of my favourites on the album. It’s a love song told from the songwriter’s point of view speaking to the lady he loves in a sense of how much he loves her and is sorry for the things he has done. This song also has my favourite guitar solo on the album, with amazing, lush guitar licks which would not sound out of place on a blues song. The storytelling is again prominent on this song and really keeps the listener interested in what the protagonist has to say. Givin’ It Up another memorable song with pop hooks. The penultimate song on this album and it really sets the close of the album pleasantly.
Colours is the final song on the album, and again another favourite of mine, it bookends the album nicely with the opening track, letting you know the musical journey is ending and hopes you join them again on another one soon. If I could describe this album with one phrase it would be a road trip and a lovely escape from all the doom and gloom in this world in 2020.
Album Rating 5/5