New York City must be a great place to live. Rather than the skyscrapers, glamour and shops of the Big Apple, the fact that places like The Bitter End club provides a live showcase to such Indiemonkey favourites as Greg Tannen, Steve Tannen and Eytan Mirsky make it a 'Most Desirable Place To Live' in my book.
And now there is another reason to make me want to move next door to The Bitter End - singer songwriter Scott Sylvester, who has been known to grace the stage at the famed club once or twice. 'The Unintended EP' is a compelling follow-up to Scott's debut disc, 'Sign On' and boasts some great songs as well as some truly outstanding acoustic playing.
Recorded as the title suggests, almost by accident in a studio above a friends garage, it is a collection of acoustic cover songs and Sylvester originals that demonstrates how major league talents don't necessarily all have major label record deals.
It's taken me longer than expected to review this CD, but don't you make the same mistake in hanging around to buy it. Opener, a cover of Peter Gabriel's 'Secret World' is proof that Sylvester commands a guitar with the authority of a Sergeant Major and the grace of a ballerina, and it makes for a superb combination. His natural folk-pop voice complements his stunningly fierce acoustic work and opens the way for a sparse, yet undeniably rich and powerful EP.
The heartfelt lyrics and intense performance on Scott's own song 'A Dream I've Never Had' are a real joy, and if there's a mistake or missed note, it's all part of the one-take, one guitar and one voice flavour of these songs. The other Sylvester original on the six-track EP is 'Too Much Anger' which reveals the style that made 1998's 'Sign On' so eclectic together with the lyrical detail, anguish and emotion that made that album so enjoyable.
As evidence of just how spontaneous this session was, a moment of acoustic rehearsal is included just before he launches into 'Rachels' Song', another song with an intensity that suggests playing guitar is almost a form of exercise for Sylvester.
Standout track though is another cover, 'If I Were Made Of Metal', a simple pop tune about devotion that can't fail to enrapture anyone who listens to it and will undoubtedly have you pressing the repeat button.
This is music in its most pure and intimate form, and is all the more enjoyable for the lack of embellishment and clutter that accompanies some albums. For anyone looking for music with great playing, honesty and a real vibe to it, look no further. Better still, you can catch Scott live when he's next at The Bitter End in NYC after he releases the 8-track full band album he's currently working on. As for me, I had better start saving up for that plane ticket.

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