SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: FRED ABBOTT & THE WILD UNKNOWN – SHINING UNDER THE SOOT

Fred Abbott & The Wild Unknown
Shining Under The Soot
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Fred Abbott might be now playing with a band named The Wild Unknown, but he certainly isn’t an unknown quantity, whether he’s wild could be discussed. After all, Abbott started making a name for himself as a guitarist and keyboardist for Noah and The Whale.

While his former band was a bit of a somewhat subdued (but excellent, nonetheless) affair, on his second solo outing, Shining Under the Soot, he is keener to show his quite good, melodic songwriting and excellent guitar skills, which he effectively puts in function of the more rocking overall songs presented here.

What makes this album work even further is the fact that Abbott engaged four different singers to give his songs a different tone and color. According to Abbott, he got the idea from The Eagles, who first recorded the vocals and then set them to best suited performances. It worked for The Eagles, and it actually works for Abbott here too.

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