Bob Hillary
You Keep Me Warm (soundEthic)
Apologies first as this should have been reviewed some time ago, as it came out six months ago. Things were much warmer then. Bob Hillary is former frontman of cult trip-hop group The Ruffness. Oh aye, and he – apparently – shared a band with a certain Chris Martin (that’d be a wee while ago then).
This single is rather closer to The Ruffness, but only because it’s nothing like Coldplay. ‘You Keep Me Warm’ is pure lovers rock (or, reggae-lite) – UB40, Bob Marley, whatever, it’s catchy and fairly palatable Carribbean-influenced pop. Hillary (phew) manages, mostly, to avoid going into a cod-reggae accent (I’m assuming he’s not Jamaican) though it’s not hard when there’s some sweet female backing vocals trilling like the i-threes. So in a sense the late review has paid off, as this sunny tune is warming the harsh winter.
Bernhard Bessing
