Out Of The Dark

DENIS LOCORRIERE was in the original line-up of Dr Hook & The Medicine Show and was the voice behind their first (and best) ever hit 'Sylvia's Mother'. Though he contributed the occasional song to their repertoire, he was overshadowed by the eye-patch wearing frontman Ray Sawyer and the group's main songwriter Shel Silverstein.

On the evidence of Out of The Dark, Locorriere's first solo album, his talents have been vastly under-utilised over the years.

Falling somewhere between left-field country and soft rock, his style recalls that of swamp-rocker Tony Joe White, especially on punchy brass-fuelled rockers such as 'If I Had A Nickel' and 'Maybe They Won't Notice' which nestle comfortably with gorgeous ballads like 'The More I Am', 'Lazy Day ' and 'Years From Now'. A couple of live tracks featured on the album include a passionate reading of 'The Ballad of Lucy Jordan', best known for Marianne Faithfull's definitive version but also written by Locorriere's old collaborator Shel Silverstein.

Highly recommended.