Conventional wisdom dictates that you should always put your best tracks
at the beginning of an album. But the opening track on this record - 'Playing The Game' - by this Dutch/ Belgian band is something of a clunker. The lyrics are naff, and although it rocks along nicely, it really doesn't do the band or the singer any real favours.
But stick with it, and "Somewhere down the road" improves tremendously. The title track, a slow burning track, really showcases Mariëlla's husky, Bluesy voice and features some fine harmonica work by Michel de Kok. As the album progresses, and the band steer away from the traditional Blues and boogie format, they really let rip. While twelve bar rockers like 'Come To Me', are perfectly all right, they don't exactly set the world on fire, but songs like 'Window Of My Eyes' are really impressive. The less Bluesy, more "filmic" and adult songs are actually much better and more effecting than the usual boogie-woogie stuff.
It's an album of two halves. Mariëlla has a lovely voice. When the band and the singer flex their muscles, the results are fantastic and hint greater things to come.