Jean Beauvoir moves in exalted circles indeed so it’s really no surprise that everything put out by Crown of Thorns reeks of class. As the band fits into a particular niche in Jean Beauvoir’s wide sphere of musical activities, fans can also rest assured that, within reasonable parameters any new output will remain true to the sound that made their name and that their hard core fans crave. ‘Faith’, the press release informs us, “Brings back the trademark Crown of Thorns sound as defined in the debut album and ‘Lost Cathedral’.” What is being offered up is a silk purse of solid gold melodic rock nuggets with nary a sow’s ear in sight! The title track with its swelling keyboard intro, driving 4/4 beat, insistent riff and atmospheric chorus delivers on that promise in spades. ‘All in my Head’ picks up the baton and runs with it in spirited style before ‘Living in the Shadows’ takes the pace down a few notches. Who said the third song ballad is a dead cliché then? Certainly the news never filtered through to Mr Beauvoir and even if it did why should he take any notice when he and his cohorts can come up with a song smoother than the models legs on a “Ladyshave” advert! Talking of smooth, ‘The One’ is pure power pop and could have been written for any number of “divas” (that is after all what Jean Beauvoir does in his day job!). If anyone is worrying at this point that the album’s initial rock promise was just a tease, fear not. ‘Rock Ready’ is exactly as the title suggests, classic “CoF” rocking and carefully crafted to get an audience punching the air. The velvet balladry of ‘Believe Me’ features a hook to ignite a thousand lighters and is a case study in the craft of song writing and thus the ebb and flow continues.
The finely judged balance between punching riffs and mellifluous choruses ranges from the crunching rhythm guitars in ‘Nobody’ and ‘Home Again’ to the delicacy of the chorus in the latter and the lush harmonies of ‘All or Nothing’. Crown of Thorns are Melodic Rock and ‘Faith’ is sure not only to delight the most discerning fans of the genre but also to win admirers from the wider rock and mainstream audiences.