Ben Reel, a native of South Armagh, is a superstar-in-waiting. From the brilliance of the playing and arranging to the magnificence of Reel's voice - this is heaven all the way.
With lyrics delving deeply into the spiritual, inspiration is heavily gleaned from classic books like Sogyal Rinpoche's 'The Tibetan Book Of Living And Dying' and Deepak Chopra's 'Synchrodestiny'.
However, it's one thing being a great word-smith but it counts for nothing in music if you can't weave it into a strong melodic force. Fortunately Reel proves to be a master of both on this really beautiful collection of rootsy, soulful rock.
'New Horizon' is 'all killer, no filler', and if Reel can manage to get more radio exposure then there's no reason why songs like 'Westcoast', with its instantly memorable chorus, and the message-laden ' All Souls Alive' can't light up the increasingly stale and predictable mainstream airwaves for years to come.
Every song stands up handsomely to repeated plays, but one - the lilting Irish ballad 'When The Summer's Gone', featuring the angelic humming of Julieanne Black - is definitely the most haunting song and has 'future classic' stamped all over it. Ben will perform this Saturday, March 28 in Ryans.
