Stonedog - Time and Tide

Hear The Track Here

A totally new name to me now from MP3 Unsigned. Stonedog is the bandname of Jon Davies a singer/songwriter (and I presume acoustic guitarist) and also features Adam Gee on bass and Steve Fenton on drums so now you know as much as I do about them eh? Although they bill themselves as rock, Time and Tide doesn't strike you as being particularly rock, it being a very laid back affair full of soft tones, especially from a very economical bassline. Initially, I have to say (because you know my dire thoughts about ballads in general) that it was the way the bass was used in this track that kept me interested. Lovely peice of work, and as understated as they come but without that bass....

Time and Tide is one of those songs, as the title suggests probably, that it will take time for this to settle on you so don't dismiss it out of hand - as I usually do when faced with ballads. The more I listened to this, the more obvious it became that - whatever the state of the material - here was a trio who knew how to work each other to the best effect. Along the way creating something that, as I say, isn't quite rock but isn't quite a weepy ballad either. In sound and delivery though, it has a lot to do with the darker side of rock, especially with that drawn out vocal which - at times - reminded me strongly of The Cure's Robert Smith.

Eventually despite all my best efforts, I got to like this peice very much partly because of the things I have already mentioned and partly because Time and Tide is a very good song indeed and makes me want to hear other things from this band. That, I would hazard a guess, is what the band is all about and I'd say their professional approach and smart production will aid in that task enormously. There are some things about the mix that don't work that well but judging by some of the comments I've seen posted, to talk about them is only going over old ground. It's all these things and the dark tone in the track will help because its very much in keeping with what is happening commercially in the real world. All in all, encountering Stonedog was very interesting in every way and certainly piqued my curiosity to hear what else they have under their belts.

Great song, performed with style. Highly Recommended.