:: Where There's Smoke

The Cruel Sea

This is lazy, groovy, summertime rock. Tex is out front, moaning and growling as only he does best, and the band settle into a nice groove right from the opening instrumental The Man With The Horn. It’s a terrific opening piece and set’s the mood for the whole album very subtly. The Cruel Sea is ageing well. Definitely in the category of older Australian acts, they show a maturity and comfort with both their strengths and weaknesses. The music here is a series of undaring, blues-filtered jams, with Tex’s magnificent voice peppering standout tracks such as No Choice (featuring Warren Ellis on flute) and Million $ Ho. In fact, they sound very much like Sticky Fingers-era Rolling Stones, druggy, stoned rock. This is a good thing however, and adds to the slow groove that the record develops over a few playbacks. The band sound relaxed, which would have something to do with the album being written on a veranda on the North-coast Hinterland, again adding to the lazy summer feeling. A cool summer record that doesn’t really break any new ground, but then again the Cruel Sea was never about that. A great Australian band, ageing gracefully in the sunshine.