EP: “Castaway” by Mikey Ball

Hampshire troubadour Mikey Ball has just released a new 6 track EP called “Castaway”, it is the follow-up to his previous EP “Don’t Think Twice”. Mikey has recruited some of the area’s best musicians to join him for the recording including Adam Pulfer (Fearne), Scotty Farron (Walk the Night/Colt 45), Matt Sawyer (Even State/Sally Can’t Surf) and Lloyd Whitbred (States of Matter/Lets Go Safari). The six track affair is quite a departure from Mikey’s previous material. The bringing of these talented guys in to join him looks and sounds very much like a master stroke.

The EP kicks off with a very powerful opener in the form of “Common Ground”, a rock track with a very Celtic feel to it. There are melodies a plenty with various stringed instruments being layered, to build up a very big sound that compliments Mikey’s great vocal delivery. The perfect musical chemistry continues with “Runaway”, a rousing rock anthem that if translated well live would send the punters home very happy. The title track “Castaway” takes a nice turn in a more acoustic direction; before being joined by electric guitar, with a gem of a riff that the creator should be more than proud of. The lyrics flow particularly well and anybody hearing for the first time should instantly get the chorus stuck in their head for good.

“Leaving in Her Eyes” is the only all-acoustic track of the collection and it tells the heart-wrenching story of a potential broken relationship. As the passionate words are delivered, the pain behind it all can be heard with each word sung. “Our Lives” bring a welcome return to the catchy sing-a-long folk/rock and reminds me very much of the work of “The Gaslight Anthem”. The last song “Rain” has an incredibly powerful opening with a ground-shaking drum beat and yet more great electric guitar work with again the vocals pulling it all together over the top. This offering is one of the best local releases I have heard this year, the six-track EP has all the right ingredients in all the right places.

Line Up
Drums – Lloyd Whitbread
Bass & Backing Vocals – Scotty Farron
Acoustic Guitar – Matt Sawyer
Electric Guitar & Backing Vocals – Adam Pulfer
Lead Vocal, Acoustic Guitar, Mandolin, Bazouki and Electric Guitar – Mikey Ball

Track Listing
Common Ground
Runaway
Castaway
Leaving In Her Eyes
Our Lives
Rain