The countdown has well and truly started for those eager to get their grubby little mitts on the new Smiley album "Friends In Far Out Places" (the follow up to "Friends In High Places") which is due for release on the 1st of November. For those of you that description applies to I'd like to ensure you that your wait will not be in vain - this album delivers time and time again track after track!
Ok first of all for those familiar with "Friends In High Places" this will seem like a natural successor, the album artwork is again provided by the ever talented Karl Parsons and mirrors the style of the first album and that to an extent is true of the music too. There are still the obligitory nods to Britpop, Kerry again features on vocals and expands her presence here giving us more opportunity to hear her amazing voice ahead of the release of the début Q The Music album. The real difference with this album is that it is much more immediate, both the songs and music are richer and more fluid providing a collection of songs that flow in a way that the first album didn't at times.
So lets do some name checking. Smiley has friends, LOTS of friends! Here we have all of The Alarm minus Craig (next time Smiley ensures me!), From The Jam band mate Bruce Foxton, Hard Fi's Richard Archer (some fans will have seen him join The Alarm on stage in London on the Vinyl tour), former band mates Martin Coogan (Mock Turtles), Pablo Cook (Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros), Jonny Wiles (One Iota) who duets on the album closer with Dorie Jackson, Gary Nuttall (Robbie Williams) alongside Robin Foster who Smiley has toured with, Dale Davis (Amy Winehouse) and John James Newman who some may know from the BBC show The Voice.
So with a roster like that you would hope for something pretty special and that is exactly what you get! There are plenty of tracks that stand out even after only a few listens from opener "You Say" to the slow burning "Interstella Aliens", the Kerry tour de forces of "Hide & Seek" and "H2O" to the club anthem waiting to happen "Higher". "End Of The World" could be the next big Robbie Williams single such is the talent of the song writing and style, it's a song that will seem familiar on the first listen, like a track you've been singing along to on the radio for weeks!
So mark the date in your diary, save the download link and make sure you get this one in your collection!
You will be able to buy the album direct from Smiley by clicking HERE from the 1st November.
Bruce Foxton has announced his new album, which will be titled "Smash The Clock", will be released in October 2015 and will be crowd funded via Pledge Music. Currently the Pledge site has it listed as Bruce Foxton and Russell Hastings (his From The Jam bandmate who also featured on 2012's "Back In The Room" album) but it is anticipated that Smiley will also feature following his involvement with From The Jam.
