CHRISTIAN WEBB.

- Old Dreams Can Wait.

This is an album that was kindly given to me recently and I feel that it needs to be highlighted by some exposure. It is entitled "Old dreams can wait" and it's the brainchild of CHRISTIAN WEBB . Why am I so excited about it? Well I shall give you a brief preface. As boy and man, one of my favourite ever radio shows encapsulates our artist's endeavours. It's called Just A Minute and you are given just sixty seconds to talk on a random subject. Christian embraces this concept perfectly with his musical version.

One minute is a very brief time scale (in vinyl terms) to decide whether to 'keep it or crack it'. I have seen this rather talented singer songwriter perform live, admittedly not for some time, and I never realised that he had this unique idea for an album in his armoury. What Christian has brilliantly constructed are sixty one minute songs of such varying genres. Another intriguing aspect is that he has chronologically placed them in alphabetical order. Indeed, the only damp haze on his pure gloss finish is the lack of a song headed by the letter Z. Surely 'Zootrip' should be included on volume 2, eh Christian? OK, I know that I'm being slightly facetious because this is a weighty composition of strength.

It starts with "Abstract art through a telescope" and ends with "Yeah I love you". The former sets the ball rolling splendidly with such an ear tugging start. It is jolly and I am immediately smitten by the neat wordsmith and "She wants to paint the town red", the beginning of such flexible word manipulation. Christian is at the beating heart of everything on his musical baby. Tenderly he controls all the instruments, except for the guiding arm of Mr Adam Knowles. He lends assistance on four tracks with his deft use of guitar, bass and drums. His partnership is felt, especially on "Battersea Park is free". Ah, "cause Battersea Park's empty". Speaking as a child of the sixties, that amusement area was my Alton Towers. The composition is close to my heart and personal. As I travel along Christian's musical path of songs, there is one particular musician that I sense is the only one that could be a possible influence or key inspiration. That is Karl Wallinger,ex-Waterboys, a richly gifted fella and, until his untimely medical problem, the driving force behind World Party.

So many seeds of thought germinate constantly throughout. Who can hear Neil Innes on "Arthur Teaspoon"? Yes this is my favourite as the proud spoon "sits at home with his family of cutlery" . To round it all off he finds time to mention "strawberry mousse" in the lyrics. The influence of Lennon does burn brightly amongst the melancholic lyrics, either with bare piano or guitar. The only few low spots do jostle with each other. I will call it the Take That segment. "Don't you worry" is decidedly Robbie, while "Down down down" is turgidly Barlow-esque. The world music hums of Paul Simon dominate "After lies", while "Hotel dreams" brings to mind the early years of REM. When a lyricist and composer only has a minute to grab the listener’s attention, it can invariably go in one of two polar directions. Sometimes you need the song to fully develop and flourish. How is it going to pan out and finish? I feel that "A new element" is one to put into this file. Alternatively, some of the more random electronic sounds featured in parts of the album rather exasperated well before the sixty seconds were up. Oh well, perhaps we should all follow Billy who "wrote a hundred songs and kept them all to himself". Lucky Billy! Then he "closed his eyes and said nothing at all". Other notable songs are "Soul drop war party" and "Fragments that diminish my lifetime".

To try and possibly highlight sixty songs of such varying vibes is damned hard. Each of Christian's compositions have been brought to life and nurtured. Whether there is a Volume 2 and future longevity is for Christian to decide. The CD is professionally packaged and there is a hand painted piece in the inset pocket. Each album is marked differently, but they are pinpointed by the cover design which links them all together. Soundwise, "Old dreams can wait" is pristine in quality. Top marks must go to Julian Lines who mastered it. On reflection, if any of you didn't see much of Christian Webb during the period 2012-3, know you know the reason why.

Martin Stapleton www.bedfordalternativemusic.co.uk