The Broken Family Band - Please And Thank You
East Anglian four piece, The Broken Family Band, release their seventh album, fifth full length version, on the Cooking Vinyl label. Sadly 'Please And Thank You' falls short of being considered seventh heaven.
The opening track, 'Please Yourself', on the other hand is an enjoyable, wonderful opener with its high tempo bluesy feel and fun lyrics. It should have been a song that sets the bench mark for the rest of the album but sadly, other than the second track on the album, the majority of the other ten tracks fail to deliver. Maybe it is just that 'Please Yourself' is such a good tune and any newcomers to The Broken Family Band will expect more of the same.
The second track, 'Salivating', may not have the same high energy as the opener but with its cheeky lyrics and rocking guitar hits the right note. Then it all starts to go down hill with 'St Albans', a song that just plods along with a bass line that hardly varies at all throughout. 'Cinema Vs House' is one of the other rare tracks that hits the mark, which does mean three of the first five tracks on the album are actually really good.
The lyrics continue to be fun and occasionally naughty on the other tracks but sadly good lyrics alone can not save songs from dragging. There are moments when you think they will go back to how the opening two tracks were but like a fluorescent light fitting with a broken starter, it flickers briefly but never kicks into life.
Back on the positive side of things, the band are all highly talented and what they play they play well, more of a case that they have just over complicated what is good and easy. Steve Adams is an amazing vocalist and makes listening to the entire album just about agreeable.
With a whole string of good festivals lined up this summer, like Glastonbury and Latitude, the guys of The Broken Family Band are surely on the right course for success. Just please play good stuff all the time and that great success will be there for you.