Gerry Cinnamon - Erratic Cinematic (2017)

Glasgow native Gerry Cinnamon’s debut album is nothing short of a collection of honest and raw takes on the world, memories of a young man trying to make sense of the world, and in the case of ‘Diamonds in the Mud’, a ballad simply showcasing love for his hometown. Opening track ‘Sometimes’ is a ballad of self reflection, where Cinnamon begins to acknowledge his own downfalls and almost come to terms with them. The Glaswegian possesses an observational lyricism few are blessed with, think of him as a sort of middle ground between Bob Dylan and Alex Turner, with his acoustic, ‘one man band’ sound and lyricism reminiscent of the Arctic Monkeys’ first studio effort (the excellent ‘Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not’).

Cinnamon’s vocal style is the key thing that sets him apart in a sea of modern singer-songwriters who all want to be the next Paul Simon or John Lennon. By singing in his native Glaswegian accent, this particular singer-songwriter leaves a lasting and memorable impression on the listener. The strength of this album comes from not only the way each track seems to flow into the next, creating a cohesive work, but the individual strength of each song, every song on this album could be released as a strong single and I truly believe they would all do very well on their own merit. The highlight of the album, for me, has to be ‘Diamonds in the Mud’, the viscerality present in the lyrics of this song is second to none. It is so clear that Cinnamon has a real love for the city where he grew up, and this feeling is something that nearly all of us can relate to as it harks back to memories of growing up and ignites a sense of nostalgia that creates very real emotion. This is only the cult favourite’s and his small but dedicated legion of fans look eagerly to the future to see how he develops and progresses as an artist, whatever the future holds, it is almost certain that fans keenly await new music...