ECHO RAIN

Western Skies

LGalahad man goes down the instrumental route.

ee Abraham has been an extremely busy lad over the past few years, releasing solo records as well as recording and touring Seas Of Change with Galahad, who he rejoined in 2017.

Here, the bassist-turnedguitarist has opted for an entirely different tactic: using an alternative name and keeping things considerably simpler. Spurning the special guest singers that graced his most recent solo work, Western Skies is a four-song instrumental EP.

Chunky opener Swagger does what it says on the tin, offering plenty of melody and, until Abraham blows off the doors at the threeminute mark, avoids showboating. The best thing here is Freedom: slower and more evocative, it conjures divine mental images of cold pints supped slowly outside a country hostelry amid a background of rolling fields. Road Trip is more rugged, though a good deal less memorable. At over eight minutes long, the title track signs off in a leisurely if slightly over-extended Americanaflavoured manner. Regrettably, despite their competency, it remains quite difficult to listen to these songs without imagining how they might have sounded with vocals.