Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10

There is nobody quite like Grant Nicholas for when it comes to being completely sincere about the way he feels about the world at any given time, it is what makes him such an endearing musician to watch and an interesting man to listen to. From highs that have the air of despondency strewn through them, to lows which house a positive aspect so unshakable that it grips the heart muscle and aches in time with each plucked string, no emotion is ever left unturned and in his latest release, Black Clouds, the emotions are once again left out in the open to breathe.

It depends on how you view the Black Clouds that form overhead at times during your life is to how you deal with them. For some it is a time to hide away that the shadows provide, for others it is time to reflect, perhaps openly and without fear of ridicule and which leaves them to deal with lack of illumination in a creative and positive way.

Such is how to view Grant Nicholas, a man whose musical soul is inherently tied up in the battle that abates in everybody but who uses the creativity in him to capture it, tie it down and spank it within an inch of its life, it may leave you exhausted but it is the type of feeling of being done in that leads to being refreshed once you realise that others go through the same range of emotions, that as complex animals, are prone to feel.

The E.P. offers six songs that highlight why Mr. Nicholas’ lyrics capture a piece of him at any given moment, even the song titles have that air of having been torment of time hanging over them and tracks themselves justify fully a new E.P. being released so quickly after last year’s tremendous Yorktown Heights album.

Whether it is in the E.P. title track Black Clouds, the superb Better Days To Come, Joan of Arc or the slightly unnerving Everyday Society, Grant Nicholas pours himself into the lyrical mould and reproduces a stinging rebuke on life but one that is held closely and dearly to him and to the many fans who have taken his voice on board.

There really can never be too much of a good thing, there can never be the loss of a single black cloud, from out of that heavenly body comes something electric and edifying, something to which any decent musician will cling on to and in which Grant Nicholas does with pride.

Ian D. Hall