Ian McNabb

New solo record from the ex-Icicle Works frontman finds him stretching his wings creatively with spectacular results. Songwriting is the focus here, with guitar leads taking a back seat to the overall atmosphere of each song. For the most part, each song is given room to breathe (there’s only one song under the 4-minute mark) and time to draw the listener into his world. “Great Things” is a cool mid-tempo tune with a chorus that soars out of the speakers. “Empires End” kicks in with some laid back upright bass courtesy of Roy Corkill and a Pink Floyd-like guitar riff that will definitely stay in your head for awhile. “Stormchaser” features some wild backwards guitar at the intro while McNabb sings “isn’t it time you took a look at what’s before you?/isn’t it time you realize that there is someone out there/someone waitin’ for you?” I could go on and on about all the songs on this record fairly easily, but it’s safe to say that US music fans are missing out on a quality release here, which is a damn shame. Remember when you first heard Peter Gabriel’s So, and it still sounds great now? Buy this and you will be saying that about Great Things years from now-guaranteed.

9.0 / 10 — Sean K.