SpreaderCraig - A Million and One Things Unsaid

Hear The Track Here

One of the more positive things to happen on Soundclick's Critics Corner (my home, as it were) over the past few months has been the introduction of the CC review competition where a certain number of tracks are entered every month, whittled down by three other reviewers and then the finalists are judged by an interactive poll. The winner, obviously, is voted there by his or her peers. The competition gave me a Must Have from Michael Hughes called Cold Rain Water (November 2008) and extremely good it was too. I admit I have been looking forward to the winner of December's competition because the quality of ALL the entrants is mind boggling, it's always going to take a rare track to get the better of such excellent contenders. Who knows, it may become a source of endless Must Haves...

Or I can just dream on....

SpreaderCraig is 'a songwriter looking for an artist/publisher to run with my tunes!' and aren't we all. He's from Sheffield right here in the UK - a city well known for its musical roots. You can only listen to this though, to have your own copy you will have to fork out some hard earned cash. Of course, it being for sale puts an entirely different slant on the review process, so I am looking for near perfection on all levels because that is what I would expect for cash money. In almost every way A Million and One Things ticks all the right boxes, it's a terrific song, performed and produced with energy and drive and produced to a reasonably high standard.

As a straightforward pop song it scores all ways from Sunday, it is exactly what I would expect from the genre and then some. I would be struck, for example, by the song crafting skill on display here (structure, instrumentation, arrangement) and the professionalism that imparts. Can't say I am that struck by the overall mixed sound though. I don't know, call me a nit picker, but it started to feel a little thin around about the eighth or nine play, which doesn't do much for its longevity. Pop was always meant to be disposable, but when you are spending money on it that may well prove to be a factor in its success. Mind you, it's very Beatle-ish sound and structure will endear it to many people despite it's slow start and it certainly makes me want to check out this artists other work.

Highly Recommended Pop.