Face To Face CD Review
Thursday 30 April 1998 (Michael Bugeja - The Malta Independent)
After an absence of approximately a year and a half from the scene, local band Characters come back with a new album and a forthcoming concert to promote it. Face To Face is the Maltese band's third album proper, that is if you don't count the Combination collection that was released in the wake of popular demand for the first two Characters albums, the collectible Destination Red and the award winning The Truth.
The 10-track album sees an augmented line-up that has taken on Adam Bonello on guitar, Michael Galea on harmonica and David Vella on accordion. The inclusion of the latter two instruments into the Characters' music, along with Ray Mercieca's trademark melodies, has given the sound a fresh, more traditional aspect, even if the dominant vibe of the album pertains to the sixties rather than the footprint timbre of Nineties' technologica.
Face to face, recorded at Paul Zammit Cutajar's Farmhouse Studios and Robert Longo's Padded Cell Studios, lurks more on a theme of foresight of universal appeal, as opposed to the personal nature of the songs that formed previous album The Truth. In fact, a look at the lyrics here, especially those of the title track, as well as other instances such as So Many Times Before and If You Can Be Strong, will reveal a general appeal, and not just on a particular and individual level.
Musically, well, what can I say, Characters like their Beatles well done and sunny side up. Yes, there are countless references to the Fab Four, more in technique than in sound, particularly in the Pepper-esque intro, but so what? The upbeat catchphrase of All Over is another example, which, after all, even McCartney himself pilfered for his Flaming Pie album. Incidentally, this song also reminds me of World Party, whose love for all things bright and Beatle-esque is no secret.
The most important Beatles reference on Face To Face however, remains the music's simplicity and melodic appeal. Ray is an old hand at this style of music, and blends his voice in excellently to create near-perfect pop music. It is no exaggeration to say that at least eight of the ten tracks on Face To Face are potential radio friendly singles, even the slower numbers. As a result, besides All Over and So Many Times Before (which ranks alongside Down By The Water in its haunting beauty) I expect songs like Work It Out, Tell Me and Follow The Rain to easily receive prime-time radio airplay, not only locally, but hopefully also in any country that Characters may choose to distribute their records. Elsewhere, a slight nod to Dylan , REM and even The Levellers can be felt, the latter assimilation possibly emphasized by the presence of accordion and harmonica.
Good as this album may be, Face To Face is not quite perfect. The length (sometimes unnecessarily prolonged) of some tracks may hinder their candidacy for radio airplay, and the attachment to a sound that may not exactly be on track with the current music scene (this side of the Atlantic at least), may prove an obstacle for Characters to attract the right kind of attention. However, having said that, the songs here are all solidly rooted in pleasant pop rock, and the band's present intentions for the American market may well be fulfilled. All they need now is a little stroke of luck to set them rolling. Meanwhile, their concert is set for May 15 at Luxol Grounds in St Andrews.