More Info: www.jebomusic.co.uk
Verdict: Classy progressive pop (80%)
JEBO was intially created as studio endeveour by Rob Allen (guitars) and Jeff France (drums), who both played in K-Passa. The band then moved into the live arena with the recruitment of Lawrie Jones (bass), Phil Dudd (keyboards) and James Hollingsworth (vocals).
This short EP is a taster for a CD which is being recorded with Johnny Burns (Genesis etc). This neatly leads us into dicsussing the music because Peter Gabriel is one possible comparison for James' voice.
Initially I wanted to describe the band as a progressive rock outfit. They have a distinctly "English" feel to their music that reminds me of Marillion or Genesis. And yet, this is only part of the story. There is another side to their music that could almost be described as ecletic pop. Scanning their website before writing this review I noted that one other reviewer mentioned Radiohead and even Pearl Jam.
"Nowhere Left To Hide" is a rich track that makes use of the musicians progressive pasts and yet delves into the melancholy associated with modern heros like Radiohead. "Sinking Without You" is a piano based track that is like a mixture of Marillion and Deacon Blue.
"7th Day" is a live track that proves the band have no problems reproducing the studio sound in a live situtation. In fact, the quality of the recording, combined with the clear tone of James's voice, make this a very pleasant listening experience.
