Chris T-T - Love is Not Rescue Album Review

For those of you not in the know, Chris T-T has been crafting irresistible folk pop for the better part of the last decade now, and a couple of summers ago you may have seen him playing keyboards in Frank Turner's backing band.

Love is Not Rescue is Chris's seventh album, and fans of 2008's Capital album are in for a more sombre set of songs. The album opens up with the slow burning Nintendo, built on a repetitive piano melody, and Chris's sweet vocals.

This is an album full of highlights. Tall Woman is another melancholy piano ballad, with really sad lyrics. Chris is an unbelievably talented writer, and even if this is a slower and quieter affair than previous works, the stripped down nature of the songs really shows off this man's ability.

Elephant in the Room is another album highlight, and probably one of Chris T-T's best tracks. It is again sombre and downbeat, but the chorus hook is massive, the lyrics are darkly humorous and the guitar solo is haunting.

There are of course plenty of songs on offer here which aren't so downbeat, such as Market Square, which is a fun and cheeky plod through, with acoustic guitars and xylophones.

It has to be said that Chris isn't perhaps the best singer in the world, but his voice works perfectly on this album. He hits all the notes, and it has the perfect tone and delivery for what it is. The lyrics in places are nothing short of genius. The aforementioned Elephant in the Room is a prime example; mixing dark humour and contemporary references: 'I forgot to have a private life/put it on the internet and called it sharing.' Similarly, the album's final track Words Fail Me contains some brilliant couplets.

In short, if you've enjoyed Chris T-T's work in the past, Love is Not Rescue will be one of your Albums of 2010, and if you're new to his sound, it is well worth exploring further.

Ben Walton

3/5