deliverance
Rating: 7/10

Although there isn't quite the same instant guitar pop appeal here that made albums like Hi Fi way and Hourly, Daily such favourites, there is a lot about Deliverance that suggests You Am I have taken the next step and attempted to offer up something much harder.

This record sounds less like a reflection of You Am I's influences - as past efforts have had a slight tendency to do - and more like a unique band who have finally been able to bare their creative soul to the world.

The difference is subtle, but a track like the pumping pub-friendly rocker "Who Put The Devil In You" smacks of You Am I, without the "Oh, they're just aping so-and-so overtones. The same is true of the laid back guitar pop in "Ribbons and Bows" - it still feels classic, but this time it's classic You Am I, not You Am I doing classic rock.

The other impressive aspect of Deliverance is the fact that it finally achieves the ideal balance between the introverted, esoteric musings of Hourly Daily and the more raucous Hi Fi Way. Although the group's last effort Dress Me Slowly, began to find this middle ground, Deliverance has mastered it.

If I was to be picky, I would say Tim Rogers still needs to drink much cheaper scotch and smoke a lot of strong cigarettes to get the right growl in his voice, but that might not be the best advice to offer a proud father. Nonetheless, his songwriting is still good enough to carry the show.

Dan Lander