The music of Manny Blu is definitely at the heart of the polarisation of country music as it rides the wave of the movement that courts the huge numbers vacated by a dormant soft rock market. It yearns for the adulation of a rapturous live audience and makes sure the sound bounds to a crescendo in each track. Subtlety is not there by design and maybe it is best consumed in social settings where a shared appreciation is rife. If the five tracks of NEW INK are on a mission to make a designer record for a moment in time, then it is absolutely spot on. Perhaps it doesn't warrant too much navel gazing and will maybe fit a time when pretensions are shed. This record is a diversion from my mission, but maybe we need a pitstop occasionally. Fifteen minutes to kick back and let inhibitions ebb away is not a lot to ask and a space has been found for the time being.
