Busker Rhymes

Busker Rhymes is the brainchild of Mat Berry and Tom Godfrey with the aim of bringing the musical prowess of London’s Underground Buskers, warts n all, to the rest of the country.

A similar thing has been done before but it was recorded in a studio and was somewhat unimaginative in its song choices, Busker Rhymes chose instead to capture the buskers in their element; peddling their musical wares to the travelling masses.

All the songs on the album are covers, with the buskers doing 3 or 4 songs at each recording, they have managed to get a wide ranging sound from Tom Godfrey’s energetic flamenco tinged take on Black Eyed Peas 'My Humps’ (hilarious but fantastic); to the more traditional, with an energetic 'Sorry Miss Jackson’ from Mark Matthews and an uplifting 'I Wanna Hold Your Hand’ from the bizarrely monikered Yoko Hallelujah

The track of the record has to be Simon Craze with his QOTSA spiced 'I Wanna be like you’, a unique take on a Disney classic one that will make you laugh and jive in equal measure.

The choice to record it live on the busker's patch with minimal studio tinkering has worked like a dream; an announcement precedes a beautifully understated version of 'All Along the Watchtower’ by Judith; a train arrives and then departs to the muted tones of Daisyb’s 'No Diggity’ and during the frankly bonkers Johnny Monitor’s 'Rise Again on Heavens Door’ you hear him thank a passer by who has given him some change.

All the participants on this compilation are uniquely talented, it’s hard to believe that they did nothing to Hadar Manor’s voice on her bewitching interpretation of Rihanna’s 'Umbrella’ (eat your heart out Manic Street Preachers!).

The range of moods and tones captured on this album is stunning considering all participants are guitar based. Its to Busker Rhymes credit that they found such a wealth of talent underneath London, next time your traveling through the underground, take a moment to enjoy the music flowing through the faceless corridors.

http://www.myspace.com/buskerrhymes

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=busker+rhymes&search_type=