One of my favourite EP releases of 2018 was ‘Shadows on the Wall’ from The Swamp Stompers, so I was interested to hear what guitarist & lead vocalist Corey Legge had planned for us with his debut solo album ‘Driving Out of Eden’.
The songs he has put together are very different to any of the previous ‘Stompers’ tracks and there is a wonderful blues & celtic folk feel to the whole album. Clear influences of artists like James Taylor, Bernard Fanning & Paul Kelly are found throughout the nine-tracks on the album which was released on 19th February.
Opening with the upbeat & catchy title track ‘Driving Out of Eden’, Legge shows himself to be not only a talented songwriter musically but also lyrically with this throwback to late 80’s & early 90’s sound of Australia and his skills become more evident with his storytelling, as we move through the album. Slower songs like ‘Safely in the Harbour’ & ‘The Wind it Never Ceases in September’ are beautiful tracks which really tug at our emotions. While ‘Rose’ & ‘Take Me or Leave Me’ do have a real James Taylor feel to them, which allows you to hear the quality of the song writing that is evident. ‘Tightening Threads’ tells tales of the treatments of the convicted, the harsh reality of the journey on the ships from Ireland to Sydney and a convicts life once arriving in Australia, with Legge’s music perfectly reflecting the times he’s transporting us back too.
This isn’t just an album of sorrow & sad tales, as tracks like ‘Great Just Ain’t For Me’ prove and I have spent a few weeks revisiting this album, playing not only as background music while sipping on a glass of wine (or two) but also through headphones to listen to Legge’s impressive lyrical works. ‘Driving Out of Eden’ lets us hear another side to the 26 year old’s talents and its mightily impressive.
Recorded in New Zealand with world-renowned producer Ben Edwards (Julia Jacklin, Marlon Williams) Corey Legge certainly shows he has more strings to his musical bow and I certainly look forward to see where this young man from Woolongong goes to next, not only with The Swamp Stompers but now also as a solo artist.
Track List
Driving Out of Eden
Safely in the Harbour
The Wind it Never Ceases in September
Rose
Take Me or Leave Me
Tightening Thread
Lying Still
Great Just Ain’t for Me
Look to the Sky
