SCULPTURES

Released way back in 2002 Sculptures is the debut and quite a rocking album by Heartscore and the work of Dirk Radloff the very man behind the project. The album contains 10 great tracks over a playing time of some just under 45 minutes and even though it may not be considered by Dirk himself has his best work, I have to say for a debut album it's very fine piece of work and quite a solid album in many respects.

All of the music and the arrangements are done by Dirk himself. Dirk is not a lyric writer and he has carefully chosen the work of famous well known poets from many moons back, for example 7 out of the 10 tracks here the lyrics come from the 1920's poet and literature writer Langston Hughes. Others famous old time poets were very much from the same poet society such as Edwin Arlington Robinson who's poem and title he chose for the last track of the album "John Evereldown" and poetry from Emily Dickenson on track 6 and E. E. Cummings on track 9 respectively.

What fascinates me about these fine poets words is the fact that he does not really alter their words at all, and sings them exactly how they was written and sculptures the expressions around his fine music. Dirk is not only a fine musician but also a well good singer and all the harmonies he adds to his main vocals is very neatly and professionally done. Considering he does this on his own and is work on the harmonies are very familiar to how the great band Queen go about theirs, it quite an achievement for any one man to process such great talent and his vision and mind work very well. But also on this fine album for 4 of the tracks he has called upon Oliver Hartstack who also contributes some dramatic vocal work on tracks 1,5,6, & 8 receptively.

The album Sculptures kicks off very well with it's opening track "Men Treat's Woman (Lover's Return" The song itself is perhaps more pop based and has a much more commercial swing and up-tempo beat about it. Lyrically it's perhaps what I would see as a fine single from the album, but however it does also seem to out of context with the rest of the material on the album, which for me is much more rock driven and gets better and better by every track as you listen to it progress along from start to finish. The following track "Blue Bayou" is a great track with fabulous bass lines and a cracking little riff that drives it along. Great high's from Dirk's voice on this one too.

Other great tracks worthy of a mention here is the shortest track on the album "When Sue Wears Red" which has some great guitar lines and some pretty nifty changes about it. This is followed by another great bass driven track "Aunt Sue's Stories" which once again shows some fine diversity with its changes and is a really great song and certainly keeps the listener well intrigued and attentive to how the album flows along so well.

There is no doubt this album for me personally get's better as it goes along and track 6 "The Saddest Noise, The Sweetest Noise" certainly rocks my boat and super well driven rock song in every way. Very much a contender for the best track on the album. The album continues in the same super rocking style with "Judgement Day" and these two tracks really pick up the pace of the album in super style. Track 8 "Little Julie (Delinquent)" is another well intriguing story of a song and a cracking track. "What If a Much of a Which of a Wind" is perhaps the fastest pace driven song of the album, which for me is the least liked track of the album personally from myself but nothing remotely bad here and it certainly rocks very well. Interestingly enough Dirk as almost made this an intro for the last track of the album "John Evereldown" as it leads straight into it without stopping. Also for me "John Evereldown" is my favourite track of the album and as a great marching into battle feel about it.

To sum up the album Sculptures by Heartscore. It's very much a great rocking album, and as a debut album I think Dirk as done very little wrong here in the way the albums actually flows along and builds up from strength to strength. I could name many well known artists and bands who's debut albums would not be half as good as what we have here, with how well and strong the material is upon it. Bryan Adams strikes my mind instantly and it took him 3 albums to become anywhere near successful with his own career. So what we have here is a very worthy album well worthy of the bucks and a blast.