Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

All good things will eventually find their way back home, they will once more join forces and defeat a common foe, the divide breached and the songs of glory, honour, melancholic splendour all being heard through the villages and to the point where the bell call out… such a statement could be reserved for the stories of Middle Earth, for the minds of those who see the world through stories that strike home the importance of continuous conversation and the ability to relay a story that honours all.

There are moments when you can feel stars align, the force of magnitude that returns one person to another’s side to continue the partnership they started and the endearing observations they brought to each other’s art; it is in the tradition of friendship not just allies, that such moments are possible to see being explored in depth, where the chart is reset Back Up To Zero.

Some believe that to have any connection in a new venture, the mile clock of experience and good fortune must somehow be riding towards to the resulting ten out of ten, for else how does the magic reassert itself? However, there must be a foundation to work upon, a structure that is not built with solid foundations will not stand, and the same formula must be employed when bringing the collection of self-penned musical observations; one that is utilised with precision and artistry by Adam Amos and Noel Rocks in their first collaboration since the 1980s.

Back Up To Zero sees the returning pair take influence from that of the self-observation, the moment of bravery, the reflection of the sorrow in equal measure, and as tracks such as Fields Of Georgia, Coldest Time Of The Year, Loaded With Bad News, 900 Miles and Superman (It’s Not That Easy), lay down those foundations with strength and adherence to code and inspection, it is with reassurance that ever was has once more become solid, tightly bound by the past and the stories and songs remain as fearsome as they once did.

Back Up To Zero, a reminder that though the way sometimes is parted, what was once bound in love and creativity, will always return to thrill some more.

Ian D. Hall