Neighborhood Watch

Review by Nolan Webb

A few years back, when the Grapes of Wrath could no longer dispel rumours of their disintegrating state and a formal split was made, many fans were left with an empty feeling that, until the release of this debut solo release, had yet to be filled. With the remaining Grapes members off doing their own Ginger thing -- and continuing in a similar Grapes vein -- Kane was nowhere to be heard or seen.

Neighborhood Watch proves that Kane is alive and well and bringing back the emotional side that so many of us fell in love with in past tracks like "All the Things I Wasn't." If even a splinter of the rumours of dark personal tale and a less-than-amicable split is true, then it isn't obvious from the tracks here.

From the first single, "The Sinking Song," and all throughout, this release has a deeply personal feel (à la Hayden or Jeremy Enigk); it is almost as if you were watching it performed live. Perhaps it is the stripped-down recording (often of only Kane and his acoustic guitar), or possibly just the lamentable nature of his past, that draws the listener in. But one thing is for sure: The old magic is back.