There is also a web review by Zeitgeist



Mon, 8 Sep 2003
Jo McCafferty - The 8 Year Gap

Sometimes you take a flyer on a new CD by a virtual unknown and it sucks. Sometimes you take a flyer and you're the first find an undiscovered gem. Take a flyer on this CD and you'll find the precious stone. It's a stunner.

If you are one of the lucky folk who has already got to know Jo McCafferty through her support slots with Fish, Marillion, The H Band, Midge Ure and other top pedigree bands you'll have a fair idea of what to expect: One girl with an acoustic guitar, and a voice. But this only tells half the story, that voice is by turns silky smooth and seductive, before turning child-like and innocent, before dropping down to wring out every ounce of vitriol from a woman scorned.

For the uninitiated, you want to know who it sounds like, right? Well, it sounds a bit like a lot of the best female singers around, and fingers will no doubt point at Suzanne Vega, Tori Amos and the like. Personally I'd go for the quieter end of Linda Perry, but the performances on these songs don't rely on copying anyone else's style, and show a wide range of styles, feels and emotions.

So what do you get on this CD? All the songs are little bits of real life that we can all identify with. Highlights for me are How Long? Aphrodite Calls and Faster in the Dark. "How Long" is an up tempo number about all those times when you're watching the clock when you should be watching each other. "Aphrodite Calls" is a song about a special person - maybe a friend, maybe a lover, but with a dark undercurrent of a story not quite told, a dream that's impossible to fulfil. "Faster in the dark" is about, well you'll figure it out.

So what are you waiting for? You've got all that money sat in your pocket waiting for the who-knows-when release by your favourite band, so in the meantime satisfy your curiosity. More details from jomccafferty.com

Thanks to Gareth 'Taff' Jones for this review via email...