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It’s probably a good thing that this debut album is coming out in January when we’re in a need of a bit of reflection. Recorded in his bedroom in the Blackstock Road (Gilles Peterson’s Finsbury Park back garden for the uninitiated) at the time of last year’s rainy summer spell, these ten songs need some time to work themselves into your consciousness, or as Jack would say, Allow It To Come On.

This album is a lo-fi affair of acoustic guitar, shakers and Jack’s “slurry” vocals. Slurry is a mite unfair, as you wouldn’t say that about Badly Drawn Boy or Damian Rice. Some of the tracks are more reminiscent of the strangeness of an early Lupen Crook (pre-Murder Birds) as confirmed by Robert Bain’s live review (see links below).

Also compared to “the quirky psychedelia of Devendra Banhart”, it’s an impressive variety of comparisons he’s garnered from hacks already. I quite like the fact that there’s no standout commercial hit which indicates Jack is very much his own man, doing what he wants rather than pandering to any industry dictates.

That said the growers are ‘Memory Gland’, ‘Little Moon’ and the closing track “The Old Easy Way” (the one with July rains hammering the roof and windows).

The release party was last November at the Slaughtered Lamb in Farringdon but on the 31st of this month, there’s another chance to catch him live around the corner at the rather splendid Betsey Trotwood.

Live Dates:
Jan 2008 The Betsey Trotwood, 56 Farringdon Road, EC1R 3BL
14 Feb 2008 Filthy McNasty
26 Feb 2008 ElectroAcoustic Club @The Slaughtered Lamb
02 Mar 2008 The Abbey

Reviewed: Jack Cheshire — Allow It To Come On Release date: November 2007
Tracklisting:
1 Little Moon (4:03)
2 Fireworks (4:16)
3 Love (4:38)
4 My Own Parade (4:01)
5 Memory Gland (2:14)
6 For You (2:51)
7 The Last Stand (3:22)
8 Lady Luck (4:22)
9 Allow It To Come On (5:41)
10 The Old Easy Way (3:44)

Links:
www.myspace.com/jackcheshire “Slurry voiced, artnik, acoustic bod, very somnambulant, slippery, stoned sounding, dark stuff somewhere between Arthur Lee and Nick Drake via The Velvet Underground and Beck….”- Bugbear Promotions, London
“Hotly Tipped” on urbanplanet.co.uk
Live Review: Borderline 22.11.07 on mylondonyourlondon.com (Robert Bain) “Cheshire’s slurred singing style, nervous twitches and sudden excited outbursts between songs give the impression that he may be somewhat unhinged. In a good way”