BELOW THE RADAR

I did not know what to expect from this album: all information I had at the time was that it was formed by Mostly Autumn´s keyboards player Iain Jannings and that it had a female singer. So I took a hot and got the CD thinking it was probably one of those ego trips by a lesser talented member of an important band. How wrong I was! Breathing Space turned out to be a group of its own, and Below The Radar a terrific album! Granted, they do sound a lot like Mostly Autumn in parts, but they have their own personality overall. And what a fantastic voice Olivia Sparnenn has! She sings like an angel!

The album starts very nicely with the title track , a quite rocking and melodic ditty that shows clearly that their songwriting department is very well served. Jannings is definitely a team player: there is room for all the musicians to breath (pun intended!) and give their contribution in the delivering of a powerful album, full of fine tracks that reveals a band to watch for. Nothing really new or groundbreaking, ok, but still excellent on what they do. I have been listening to this album almost non stop for a the last two weeks and I must admit I can´t have enough of it. It shows more subtlety, variety and small details every time I put it on. It is one of those CDs that sound simplistic at first, but after some time you end up realizing how well crafted and arranged it is. Best tracks: Behind Closed Doors, the 9 minute epic Questioning Eyes, the poignant Drowning and the aforementioned Below the Radar, but they are all at least very good. And they are all delivered with a passion and conviction that is hard to see (or hear) nowadays.

The production is very good: you can hear everything in a well balanced mix. I especially liked Liam Davidson´s tasteful guitar lines, even if I was attracted by Jennings gorgeous keys at first. Not a single note wasted, everything falling into place at the right moment. And, top of it all, Olivia Sparnenn beautiful voice. How could I ask for more?

If you like melodic rock with generous doses of folk and prog elements all over it, then this is for you. Less Pink Floyd influenced than Mostly Autumn (although not devoid of), Breathing Space proves here that they are much more than just a side project for MA´s keyboards player. I´m really looking forward to listen to their other works.

Rating: 4,5 stars. Highly recommended