| The new album Slave Manifesto has received a 4 star glowing review from Sarah Keary of Music Review Unsigned. It leaves me in no doubt that the sound and style I have created is heading in the right direction musically, plus the review put a smile on my face. I’m that happy I will again offer for a short period my album as a FREE download.
The review:
“It’s not often you find an artist that has definitive influences and rolls it all up to make their own, but Ruben Vine creates one hell of an album he calls Slave Manifesto. For a second album, Sussex-born Vine has started his career on the right foot.
It has been quite some time since I have listened to an album produced by an unsigned artist that has the power that some signed artists spend their lifetimes trying to create. Slave Manifesto fits perfectly within the rock scene of today, bringing back what we were waiting for: quality rock.
The Slave Manifesto LP made me feel nostalgic about a past I never had. From Vine’s Johnny Rotten-esque vocals on the first track Slave, to 90’s Grunge influences on Chemical Cuddles. Throughout the album, there is a clear Punk Rock soul flourishing in tracks such as Tick Tock, Pavement Politics and Pray. Within all this Punk, the songs contain pop melodies, so don’t think you’ll get these songs out of your head too quickly.
Amongst Vine’s influences of Punk and Grunge, there is clear energy derived from a mixture of Oasis and PJ Harvey; a very ambitious move for a new-comer. With so many diverse influences in one album, you wonder how does Ruben pull it off. Well, he does. Ruben’s passion is bleeding through this album. Although, listening to the album right through I feel it lacks consistency. For me, the album gets weaker. Maybe it is just the imperfect track listings, but after getting very excited by hearing Jimi Hendrix-like guitar riffs in the first track, I unfortunately felt disappointed by the heavily induced pop in the final track, Kamikaze.
Altogether, I probably enjoyed the most part of the album due to the fact his influences are my inspirations. All in all, the album lacked a certain amount of texture. If the consistency was better, the album would be perfect. Ruben Vine is a very talented artist with a very bright future, and with a little help from the experts, he can produce a game-changing album. You’ve got to admit, for what is good on Slave Manifesto, it’s outstanding”
Any MRU readers, Analogue Underground Radio listeners or facebook members who saw their review can get a FREE digital copy of the new Slave Manifesto album and it’s very easy:
Simply sign up at the bottom of the page for the newsletter
Then a digital copy of the album including a PDF version of the Lyric and Photo Book will be sent to the email address you supplied. This offer remains open until Midnight Thursday 31st of May 2012.
Let the Slave Manifesto begin…..
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Well done
Happy daze …..
Yeah, cool review.
Had another from Black Velvet Magazine that was not as good. Again mentions great potential and said “Kudos for being different though, and if your looking for the experimental give it a try” and got 3 hearts = good. But also said “Ruben Vine’s second album is not for everyone. It’s a fairly basic sound, no real complexity in scoring, stripped down to basics, and little variety in rhythm from one track to the next.The trouble is there are flashes of potential, but it’s largely repetitive…”
Have to take on chin and down to reviewers taste at end of the day, this proved by totally different review from MRU, although similarities in part. Will try to meet my potential on new material currently writing, I do realise since I’m self taught and from punk rock school of musicianship originally I lack some of the traditional songwriting skills but never until now seen it as a bad thing, I like my rawness but do feel my song structure needs to improve to allow my music and sound to have true impact. I think it has and is but proof is in the pudding as they say….
RV x