Franc Cinelli

I Have Not Yet Begun To Fight
(Songcircle Records)

2 Stars

In a previous incarnation as Goodtimes Goodtimes Franc Cinelli released Glue, an album that fizzed with good tunes and ideas that clearly marked him out as one to watch.

So hopes were high for this release which starts strongly with Shot Of Life, the sort of infectious tune that David Gray used to produce. 

But then disintegration kicks in with a gentle ballad about a rose garden, hardly cutting-edge stuff. 

In character-driven songs such as Abracadabra and Fat Charlie Sings The Blues, the protagonists are two-dimensional, not all that interesting and few insights are gained.

If he were a boxer, Cinelli could have been a contender.

But as the album's title says, he has not yet begun to fight - or should that be he seems to have forgotten how to.

The shame is that unless Cinelli gets someone good in his corner he's going to end up the musical equivalent of a boxing journeyman.

Richard Hilton