Leo Abrahams
Honeytrap
Just Music

First things first: what a lovely sleeve. I'm all for artwork being an intrinsic part of the value of the music, and this album is housed in a gorgeous purple and green digipack with a swirly tree on the cover and beautiful, elaborate type. It speaks of exotic, elegant opulence.

And the music? Similarly luxurious. Leo Abrahams has worked with Brian Eno and Ed Harcourt, and is clearly a very talented musician. On this debut album he has employed a diverse and rich instrumental palette to craft music that is swooningly pleasant. The production is lush and crystal clear; the performances are precise and nuanced; all the compositions are balanced and reasonably engaging.

Unfortunately I hesitate to indulge in flattering the album much further, simply because it doesn't really grab me. There is a lot to appreciate about it, but little to love. "Mirror Sister" is a beautiful track, and moved me; some of the melodic lines are very nice. But I find that the music doesn't take me any further than that.

Copyright © 2005 Tim Clarke