That THE 'BURN are gonna do well seems preordained. They have the old-fashioned work ethic currently so revered in guitar bands and have spent the past two years mostly on the road and growing up in public, opening for the likes of Paul Weller and Ian Brown. Having recently spoken to likeable drummer Lee Walsh, it also seems they have the temperament to stay in this for the long slog a la Coldplay.
All of which is thoroughly commendable, and - after numerous listens to their cryptically-titled debut album "Sally O'Mattress" - it's impossible to deny they have the big, anthemic sound (buffed up to hyper-professional levels by legendary production workhorse Hugh Jones) that will happily fill larger halls and arenas for many a season to come.
Unfortunately, though, Rome wasn't built on sweat alone, and while their commitment and dedication is boundless, their inspirational shortcomings are also only too visible behind their sturdy facade. Thus, regardless of its' robust stature, this debut eventually topples over beneath the weight of its' obvious influences.
Let's face it: it's very difficult not to do a "Stars In Their Eyes"-style spot-the-carbon-copy exercise here, as The 'Burn's collective heart isn't so much stitched on their sleeve, but tattooed into their flesh forever.
Suspects are rounded up and proved guilty all over the place. Songs like "Big Blue Sky", "Farewell" and "Enlightening" are all so Richard Ashcroft-lite you almost dread the choruses coming and the inevitable strings crashing in; "Both Faces" - actually fairly successfully - apes Oasis' recent, amped-up shenanigans; "Facing The Music" finds Lee Mavers' spectre lording it uncomfortably at the feast and - worst of all - the good-time, boozy blues of "Drunken Fool" is only one short rung above Proud Mary on the ladder. A scary thought, whichever way you slice it.
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All of which is a pity, as The 'Burn are basically a good, tight young band who can come up with something decent when they feel like it. Indeed, two of "Sally O'Mattress"-es best efforts come at the beginning, with the fiery, folk-rock rallying cry of "Calling All" and the venomous swagger of "Fight The Fire": even if this latter does (yes, OK, OK...) recall The Stone Roses circa "Second Coming."
Perhaps the best things here, though, are the dark, tribal melodrama of "Steel Kneel" (howled convincingly by drummer Lee Walsh) - which is bizarrely more reminiscent of the Southern Death Cult - and "Water To A Drowning Man". The fork-tongued slide work on this latter suggests buses regularly leave Blackburn for the Louisiana bayous, even though your reviewer can't recall any such expedition on his last trip to the East Lancs fleshpots!
The The 'Burn are a competent, tight-knit outfit can't be denied from this debut. However, like the notorious "Sally O'Mattress" herself, they are a seduction so obvious they make Har Mar Superstar look subtle and mysterious, consequently ensuring the end results feel rather less than totally satisfying.
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