Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10
When the Personal Sin is over, all that remains is to be taken to the Boneyard to account for all you have done and rest assured that all you have done is beyond reproach; for Reuben Archer that thought is surely always there, for the sense of understanding that comes with always wanting to do more than what might be perceived as your best, to take the narrative one stage further and give life to a complete and rounded individual, is the point of searching for excellence that Reuben Archer insists upon.
Following on from the acclaimed albums Personal Sin and Petrolhead would be a tough demand of anyone, two tremendously exciting and deep-reaching albums that a lot of musicians would be proud to have in their cannon of work. For Reuben Archer, teaming up with members of The Brand, Chris Clowsley, Jim Cooper, Neil Ablard, Ross Wareing, Matt Taylor and the wonderful precision of Vicky Bull’s backing vocals for the Boneyard album is an inspired piece of artistry, one that once again captures the desired imagery that was set down on the musician’s two previous solo outings, and which finds itself easily nestled in amongst his other work with the hard rockers Stampede and Lionheart.
Recorded at Wolverhampton’s Regent Studio, the album is one that motivates the listener to more than tag along for the ride, it offers respect, encouragement and an instinctive aural flavour that grasps Mr. Archer’s long love affair with the Blues-Rock-Jazz genre. The squeal of the wheel, the burning rubber of songs that came in the wake of Petrolhead has now been replaced with the consideration of what comes to us all, but how we arrive there, not safe and secure but having the time of our lives along the way,
It is in this appreciation for that journey that songs such as Over My Shoulder, the superb Everybody’s Got A Scam, the album’s title track Boneyard, Fade Away, 25 Paces, Nobody’s Fool and Knock It All Down stand up to the close scrutiny that inevitably comes with a third album, fans, critics and the interested all hoping that the magic has continued, they will not be disappointed, they will come clean with their appreciation, for there is nothing to feel grave about in this Boneyard, instead it is a place where the music will leave you beautifully haunted with pleasure.
Reuben Archer with The Brand release Boneyard on July 12th via Toxic Arrow Records.
Ian D. Hall