Delicious slice of bluesy rock ‘n’ roll

By style I don’t mean his fashion sense- Though I’m sure he has a brilliant one- I’m talking about his utterly divine bluesy rock and roll. I don’t know what it is that makes me love Ichabod; so I’m going to spend the rest of this review trying to pinpoint it, here it goes.

King Of The River is a three piece EP that begins with Cruel; a track opening with the sounds of the sea, which elegantly moves into Ichabod’strademark style; his electric riffs alone with his gorgeous vocals.

Maybe I love the fact that Ichabod, aka Kieran Smith, has vastly improved and crafted his sound since he first hit The Derbyshire Times’ pages a few years ago; the fact he sounds like he’s had forty years of experience rather than being a twenty something. Ichabod has a soul way beyond his age; just one of the reasons he’s excellent.

The Thorn is equally as enchanting, it is four and a half minutes full of simple heartfelt lyrics and it’s just a beautiful, beautiful song.

If King Of The River was a sponge cake, The Thorn would be the delicious, rich jam between the sponge. The EP is so layered in emotion and sincerity; Ichabod’s done well.

Finally, title track King Of The River brings the EP down to a chilling, eerie mix of piano and strings; a new style for Kieran but it really exposes his unique vocals; it’s an excellent set up.

There are a lot of up and coming songwriters in the game who are adapting to this simple style; piano and vocals, Tom Odell for example.

What Ichabod has that really raises the bar is his unbelievable talent; his knack for pouring his whole being into his work. Yeah, I think that’s why I love Ichabod’s music, I think I’ve hit it.

By Sian Hodkin