3 Mile Shout are new to me and, as this is their debut album, there is no rep to delve into. All I know is that the core of Richard Woodfin ((guitar), Richard Manwaring (percussion) & Richard Hewlett (bass) make a fine jazzy & funky noise. All three have been around the periphery of the scene for years, playing with many bands, sessioning and, in the case of Manwaring, producing and engineering some major names (Budgie, Van Morrison Runrig). They have a number of friends guesting on tracks including James Knight (sax), Roger Askew (vocal & piano), Wily Bo Walker (vocals), Basia Barz (violin) et al.
10 Tracks, all written by the band and seriously good late night music. Hewlett’s bass is the true heartbeat of the sound, with subtle guitar work from Woodfin and rhythms drive hard by Manwaring’s drums and percussives. The songwriting is excellent, and the lyrics take you to late nights and degradation, characters and real life people – all relatable and all encapsulated by moody sounds that just serve to help the stories tell themselves.
There is so much music around these days that it all tends to blend into the background, but there are a very few albums that are memorable and that stand aside from the dross. This is one that I will be pulling out for time to time, when the mood is right and because it is one of those very few that will stick in my mind.
