5

Warren Dean- Who Is Warren Dean?

Who Is Warren Dean? Well, erm, I don't know. Nobody really knows. But that's the rather intriguing appeal about this thirteen-track debut album. This record is a public-funded first effort from an anonymous busker who has chosen the pseudonym 'Warren Dean' to go about his creative business. It's all a bit Banksy.

This faceless rocker has done his time and worked hard to learn his trade, and the last few months has apparently involved him hitting no less than fifty cities and towns to raise enough cash to get this recording project under way. This admirable relentless graft is intended as a strike upon the Big Brother-like face of Simon Cowell dominating the music industry, and it is good to hear of further efforts to keep these talent shows in competition with some real passion. However, it is with great sadness I came to realise that ironically, Warren Dean has fallen foul to the problem that so often dogs the characters we see on TV shows like The X Factor. The story behind the music is better than the music itself.

At the risk of sounding like the high-trousered millionaire judge himself, Warren Dean may not be one of life's recording artists. Busking is one thing, but in terms of making a broader impact? His brand of rock is no different to that of many aspiring unsigned bands we might hear in pubs across the country on a weekend. There is a lack of firm vocal identity and there is no of impression of any real creativity. The DIY approach to the record's production really comes through in the alarmingly unpolished sound of tracks 'Hide' and 'Menage A Quatre'- and not in a particularly endearing way. Interestingly, the less 'rock' tracks like 'Butterfly' and 'Pride In Me' see the amateurish generic riffing take a back seat and allows the performer to come to life a little more. It's when a bit of soul from the experiences of this interesting character can shine through that Warren Dean makes a stronger impression. Maybe it's because it returns the music to just one man and his guitar.

The record may have failed to make the impact intended, but I can't help help but feel a great deal of fondness for the story that accompanies this album. Regardless of my opinion on the music itself, I wish nothing more but for Warren Dean, whoever he might be, to keep on rocking. Motivation, passion and hard work like this is rarely seen these days and it's something a lot more people could learn from.