MIKE KERSHAW / WHITEWATER: GOOD INTENTIONS

"Good Intentions" is a Split EP from Mike Kershaw and the band Whitewater, both listed in Prog Archives as Crossover Prog artists. The EP was released early in April of 2019, and proceeds from the sales of this EP will go towards two local junior sports clubs around Wakefield, UK. The statement on Bandcamp says that the songs will be available for only 2 months, so I decided I would give this a quick review to see if there could be a quick response to this EP since it is apparently only available for a limited time and the EP's release was mistakenly listed for release in early June 2019, so it may not be there much longer since it was really released in April. The total run-time for the EP is just over 14 minutes and it consists of 3 tracks.

Mike Kershaw comes from Wakefield, UK and changed his professional course when he lost his job back in 2007 and started working on short term contracts and also began releasing his own albums. He has since released 5 full length albums and 3 EPs, including this split EP called "Good Intentions".

Whitewater is also a crossover prog band from the UK made up of the duo Stuart Stephens and Paul Powell and formed in 2013. They have released 3 full length albums and one other EP.

The first track is "Forgotten Child" and is performed and written by Mike and his band. The line-up is Mike Kershaw on vocals and keyboards; Gareth Cole on guitars; Leopold Blue-Sky on bass; and Stefan Hepe on drums and percussion. The track has a moderate tempo and a nice guitar riff to open and Mike's vocals begin. His voice is a bit gravelly and has a similar tone as Michael Stipe from R.E.M. The beat is solid as is the track, but it is rather straightforward and accessible with a standard song structure. Nice song and melody.

"Things That Can't Be Said" is the 2nd track and again features Mike Kershaw on vocals, but the music is provided by "Whitewater". Lyrics were written by Mike and the music by Stuart who also plays guitars, bass and keys while Paul plays drums and percussion. This track is a bit heavier in tone while the beat is a slower, yet still moderate tempo. It is mostly accompanied by strummed guitar and a more complex drumming performance. A nice guitar solo is also featured during the instrumental break.

"Freefall" is completely performed by Whitewater with the vocals and lyrics provided by Stuart. Other instruments are played as noted in the 2nd track. Stuarts vocals are cleaner and have a more dynamic feel to them. The track is also lusher featuring a symphonic feel during the choruses. There is also an excellent guitar solo in the middle of the song.

The songs are quite nice and fairly accessible. There is a slightly rough edge to everything, but that helps to establish it's authenticity. These are not really very progressive tracks, but they are decent and enjoyable songs for a great cause. These tracks are available on Bandcamp for those that are interested and can be previewed.