Chris Riffle - Introducing...

  by Tara McEvoy

published: 15 / 8 / 2010

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Review

If there’s one genre which is described perfectly by the term ‘over-saturated’, then it’s that of the singer-songwriter. Elliot Smith, David Gray, Sufjan Stevens, 'Wind in the Wires'-era Patrick Wolf, the newly solo Fyfe Dangerfield... the list goes on. And, now, we have the addition of Chris Riffle. While his ‘Introducing...’ offers soundbites which recall the work of many of the aforementioned artists, Riffle’s own work never truly flourishes in its own right, as he leans too heavily on inspiration from his predecessors to forge his own path. Unfortunately, featuring a narrative littered with lyrical clichés such as, ‘Looks like angels start to kiss’, the record also occasionally resembles the work of altogether less appealing songwriters in the James Blunt mould. On the bright side, ‘Introducing...’ makes for pleasant listening - in all too rare moments, Riffle even manages to convey true, pure emotion, as his gentle, androgynous vocals ache and waver while he sings, ‘It don’t matter if I want you back, I always want what’s bad for me’ on opener 'Roll Over', a slow – building song which sets the tone for the following nine tracks . Donovan cover 'Catch The Wind' is a novel, mellow reinvention of the original, an intimate reimagining replete with sighed vocals, and 'Younger Years' marks a sea change, a song infused with a jazz rhythm, it sees refreshing change of pace. Yet, ultimately, the album is too self-indulgent, and frankly, wearyingly repetitive, to have any real impact. Listenable, absolutely, perfectly suited to being background music, definitely, but, ultimately, the music showcased on ‘Introducing...’ has been done a million times before, and, sadly for Chris Riffle, it’s been done better.

Track Listing:-

1 Roll Over
2 Catch the Wind
3 Everything You Need Is Here
4 Younger Years
5 Just Assume
6 Walk Away
7 Simple
8 Light and Water
9 Trains
10 Believe In Now