It may be hard to believe that Tales From The Thames Delta is actually the debut album from The Milk. The album can mistake you into thinking it came from a band who have been releasing music for years.
Opening track ‘Broke Up The Family’ has hints of The Black Keys about it, then follows a swift genre change with ‘Hometown’ where pop and soul come crashing together brilliantly topped off with Rick Nunn’s voice bringing it all together with the same vibe travelling into ‘(All I Wanted Was) Danger’.
The Milk show how versatile a band they are with Tales From The Thames Delta and it is again highlighted with ‘Nothing But Matter’ with it bringing reggae melodies into the album and ‘B-Roads’ also allowing R&B and soul influences shine through.
‘Chip The Kids’ has a magical 80’s feel to it. It is a very upbeat track full of energy that is one of the few consistent features of the album. Closing track ‘Lay The Pain On Me’ brings the music back to basics. A simple piano track with soft soulful vocals accompanying it.
Tales From The Thames Delta is an extremely mixed up album that cannot be defined by a simple genre and that’s what makes it so good. It crosses soul, rock and even features a series of hip hop beats and scratches provided by Brad Baloo. The album is a very enjoyable listen and the future is certainly bright for the Essex band.
Review Score: 9.1 out of 10.
