Andy Grant Band

Crammed under the stairs on a hot and sticky (almost) midsummer night in June, guitarist and singer/songwriter Andy Grant took the stage at the ever-popular Bridport venue No.10 this week for what promised to be another storming set of tuneage. Arriving early, I was lucky enough to get a front-stage seat enabling me to get a bird's eye view of seeing and hearing one of Dorset's most promising live acts.

I was not disappointed. Having not seen Andy play for a while, I was looking forward to hearing how the new Hole In The Sky tracks were going down with audiences who have high expectations of this accomplished and ballsy performer. From the word go Andy had them by the short and curlies. Opening with 'Prioritise'(arguably the catchiest tune you are likely to hear this summer), Andy set the bar high by launching into this sure-fire hit single - the chunky monkey musical equivalent of a Ben and Jerry's special.

An explosive first set featured several of the songs I was hoping to hear.

From the melancholy title track through to the gut wrenching growl of 'Bessie', Andy is a performer who knows just how to push his crowd's buttons. Sensitive to their needs, he made sure that a couple of great covers were thrown in for good measure to even up the stakes. From the Paul Simon classic '50 Ways' through to the more romantic Isley Brothers 'Love the One You're With', Andy delivers each tune with roaring, heartfelt expression. A couple of newer tunes were also given an opportunity to walk the line - 'Miss Particular' and 'Be There' show that Andy has by no means left his song writing barrel empty.
- www.the-mag.me.uk

Like a highly-tuned pop ninja, Dorchester’s Andy Grant uses the smallest of means to exert the biggest of forces. ‘Hole In The Sky’ offers up eleven tunes of pared-down blues and folk, but the songwriting and six-string dexterity is anything but basic.

There’s deep delta magic aplenty with the bottleneck acrobatics of tracks like “Bessie”, “Indifference” and the rootsy Jeff Buckleyesque “Come On Strong” perfectly complementing Andy’s gruff, hearty vocals. However, the good thing is that these rougher cuts are interspersed with a variety of softer, more contemporary textures.

“Divided” marries a poppy tune with a lush folky feel, “Move On” nods towards the grown-up sound of Counting Crows or Matchbox20 and “Prioritise” is an oddly charming resurrection of skiffle. “Elements” hints at the twinkling simplicity of The Beatles’ “Blackbird” and “Your Smile” is shamelessly romantic; but the standout moment has to be the sweetly undulating rhythms of “Heaven Knows.” Like’60s garage anthem “Gloria” put through the bliss blender this packs energy and subtlety into just a few chords. Like everything here, it’s simple stuff done well.
- www.overplay.com