Thanks to stand up comedian and music aficionado Johnny Taylor for this very kind review of Live at Lazybones in his outstanding music blog Now Hear This.

I had the good fortune to review the excellent single “Believe” off of this EP back a few months ago. It was a strong teaser and left me aching to check out the entire record. Cullen’s Nick Cave-esque vibe really appeals to the tortured twenty-something lying in my rapidly aging 40-year-old meat suit. So when I opened my inbox to see it waiting there for me, I was pretty stoked to give it a listen.

Will the whole EP (recorded Live at Lazybones as the title suggests) measure up to that great first single? Or will it all be fools gold? No need to wonder long. Let’s dive in!

We start with Black Dog which isn’t a Led Zeppelin cover. It is, however, a delightfully Tindersticks-tinged opener. It sets a perfect vibe for what Michael P Cullen is all about. Dark lyrically, but not sacrificing melody in the process. Really excellent beginning. We move onto Nothing Special and it’s another gem. Lyrically it’s a bit too reliant on rhymes in the verse but it doesn’t detract from the rock solid chorus. Good stuff. Black Coffee & Cigarettes is next. It’s got melody for days. A good choice for the second single. The next track is the first single off the EP entitled, Believer. I raved about it a few months ago and nothing has changed. It’s like a darker R.E.M. Really solid tune …

Read the original review in full here:

https://www.nowhearthismusic.net/single-post/2017/09/25/Now-Hear-This-Live-at-Lazybones-EP—Michael-P-Cullen-The-Soul-Searchers