This is a really hard one to review, because it’s not Punktastic-related at all, although Luke’s an avid reader/user, so fair’s fair for a quickie (so to speak!) Luke Leighfield is a one man act, pretty much just him and a piano in the style of Ben Folds or The Rocket Summer, although not quite as good as either. To be fair, Luke’s a fantastic pianist and a promising songwriter, although none of the 10 songs on offer here really grabbed me by the bollocks and made me want to listen repeatedly. ‘Not Til It’s Ready’ shows plenty of promise, but it’s a little weak to get me too excited.
There are a couple of bad covers thrown in for good measure, Britney Spears’ ‘Baby One More Time’ is crucified vocally, but it does serve to show Luke’s piano skills are more than up to standard. The Beatles’ ‘Let It Be’ is also massacred, but then it’s an all-time classic which probably shouldn’t be touched. My advice to Luke is to attempt to set a style of music that you want to play and stick to it. Vocally he needs a bit of work (especially on the higher and longer notes), but musically there’s a talent which suggests we could hear more in the future.
www.myspace.com/simplylukeleighfield
Paul