Bristol Rocks Alfie Kingston Album Release

Alfie Kingston 'Creatures & People's Ways' Monday 3rd December I Tunes 79p A Track www.alfiekingston.com www.myspace.com/alfiekingston
Bristol born Singer-songwriter Alfie Kingston, well known on the Bristol music scene for his quality acoustic showcase nights, has been finding widespread acclaim with his debut album Creatures and People’s Ways. The album is an impressive collection of classic tunes, covering a wide range of styles and showcasing both Alfie’s talents as a songwriter and the musical prowess of producer and multi-instrumentalist Paul Miro (Apes, Pigs and Spacemen). After being licensed to Whimsical Records, the double-A pairing of I Will Wait and Regard Me 14 Days, taken from the album, were released in 2007 with ...14 Days hitting the number one slot on an independent Australian radio station within two weeks.
The single gained some extremely positive reviews from the music press, including such respected online publications as Glasswerk, Subba Cultcha, Atomic Duster, Soundchecks, Zietgiest and Toxic Pete. Following on from this success, a new song, A Little Nonsense, was premiered live on BBC Radio Bristol before being released as a second double-A alongside the haunting and chromatic She's Scary. …Scary would go on to gain the attention of DJ Steve Lomaq as well as seeing airplay on The Bob Harris Show on BBC Radio 2. The combined success of the two singles has now led to Whimsical releasing the entire Creatures... album for download via iTunes on December 3rd. "But wait! What is going on with track 6? A Gem hidden in a pot of gold! 'She's Scary' Alfie is #kin superb. This track has a hook so sharp that it could penetrate a CHAV's forehead. If you can get this track played on national radio, you will have a hit on your hands" - Bristol Rocks “…spooky sounding singer songwriter, the melodies melt into a haunting production that excites me as much as it chills me… creepily wonderful stuff…” - Subba Cultcha "A superbly put together piece of British-ness - mature modern 'pop' with an acoustic leaning, featuring big arrangements, being beautifully proportioned and finally, stunningly executed" - Toxic Pete "It’s refreshing to hear an album by a solo artist that has absolutely no covers on it. Alfie Kingston is a talented song-writer and his hard work in getting this album produced to a high standard shines out of each and every song" - Claire Wright Music "This excellent sing-a-long album is very catchy, classic and organic and sticks in your head after the first play. There are elements of country, pop and rock here and it's extremely radio friendly. Expect strumming acoustic guitars, dreamy bluesy leads, melodic vocals and heavenly harmonies. This is traditional organic pop the way it's supposed to be" - Matchbox Recordings "She's Scary" put me in mind of Crowded House on a particularly wobbly ferry, due to its slightly twisted, seasick feel, but this only adds to the fun. Certainly an artist to watch out for" - Atomic Duster "He appears to be a man that likes to think about his words, the feel of the song. The lyric, the poetry are as important as the guitar phrasing and the licks and there's some pretty good licks to draw you into the words. Without wanting to sound patronising, this is thinking man's rock" - Fatea Records "Keep an eye out for Alfie Kingston, because with tracks like She's Scary and A Little Nonsense he is destined to be one of the best singer/songwriters in this country" - Radio Dialect "It's power pop without a shadow of a doubt, Whimsical Records clearly have a talent on their hands and there are certainly people out there who will be highly impressed by this newcomer" - Glasswerk "EXCELLENT ... timeless U.K. singer songwriter pop for all ages!!! I really pitty a world that is forced to listen to mediocre nothings like James Blunt pushed to the top by a marketing media hysteria that could put ANY piece of shit on top of the charts,and I MEANT IT!!. Alfie Kingston is a treasure to be discovered - great songs, melodies the Bee Gees would have been proud of, a production that takes you away, or deep into..or .. can't praise this single enough! Great updated pop that does not lick the boots of update fashion sound" - Lord Litter, Germany "Blimey, that was a bit good! It's not often that a debut single grabs you by the cojones and commands attention, but this one certainly did. Bristolian Alfie Kingston has come up with a string drenched, hard driving, melodic slice of classic rock, crossed with seventies pop that crosses too many boundaries for its own good, but still manages to command attention. The other track on the double A side, "Regard Me 14 Days", is more introspective and intimate, if a wall of sound production can ever be truly intimate, but props to producer Paul Miro for a bang up job. And as for the spiralling Dave (sorry David) Gilmour like guitar lead, it's heart wrenching. This may make me a big girl for liking it, but I'll take my chances. Well done to Whimsical Records for snaffling this one up" - Zeitgeist "Alfie Kingston's debut sits on the boundary between pop and rock, folk and blues but never once sounds like it's unclear of its roots. This is clear, confident, smart music from a man (and his band) who looks set to make quite a name for himself. Opening with the eastern tinged Speak A While, two things become clear straight away. Firstly, the production on the album is as clean and unobtrusive as possible, allowing the band to take centre stage and at the same time ensuring that they sound as good as they possibly can. Secondly, there's energy to the track, Kingston's impassioned, expressive voice driving the song along with a controlled urgency that never sounds like he's trying too hard. So Don't Disappear takes a slightly more laid back approach, replacing the rock of the first track with something a little calmer. It's Easy continues this trend, opening with just Kingston's acoustic guitar and voice and opening out into a bleak, subdued song with strong orchestral overtones. Sometimes raises the tempo a little and to my mind, is one of the strongest tracks on the album. Revolving around a piano, Kingston's guitar, and lyrics which wryly observe how our priorities change dependant on what's going at the time, it's a humorous but affecting track reminiscent of the best Barenaked Ladies' material. Miracle Man slows things down again, whilst She's Scary sees a total departure in style. With its bouncy, echoing acoustics, and lyrics about the dangers of dealing with a particularly clingy partner, it's one of the most unusual, and best tracks on the album. I Will Wait takes the album back to the acoustic side of things, with Kingston's voice and guitar very much to the fore. The style, including a string section and the impassioned lyrics are reminiscent of Big Country at their best and this is again, one of the strongest tracks on the album. Regard Me 14 Days is another low-key track, almost melancholic in style, and this trend continues with The Distance and the final track This I'll Shame. All three see Kingston's guitar and soulful voice coming to the fore, combining lyrical intelligence and musical confidence with an old fashioned approach that works extremely well. This isn't entirely new ground, with both Big Country and Sting producing similar material, but it's done with absolute confidence and a dedication that marks this out as something genuinely impressive. Creatures & People's Ways is an immensely impressive debut, showing a versatility of approach and an intelligence that only promises more in the future. Kingston and his band are dedicated, talented and clearly have a passion for what they do. Fans of rock, pop or folk deserve to hear this.